Guests' perception of staged authenticity in a theme park: an example from Disney's Epcot's World Showcase

Purpose – The study aimed to investigate the role of staged authenticity on guests' overall experience when visiting a theme park. It also assessed their evaluative perception of the “real experience” versus the “staged experience.” In addition, the study explored the variables that may predict guest's perceived level of authenticity, realism and truth when experiencing “reproduced” landmarks at a theme park. Design/methodology/approach – The study's setting was the World Showcase at Disney's Epcot theme park that features well-known “staged” landmarks. The study adopted a theoretical framework initially developed by Naoi that measures guests' perceived authenticity at tourist attractions. Personal interviews were conducted with 336 local residents, domestic and international tourists in Central Florida using a structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS and included descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple regression analysis. Findings – Patrons' overall experience at Epcot's World Showcase was perceived to be “unique,” “authentic,” “fantasy,” “exotic,” “adventurous,” “secure,” “safe” and “sanitary.” Respondents also perceived the country pavilions to be “truthful,” the architecture to be “realistic” and the ethnic food to be “authentic.” Respondents' perceived level of authenticity, realism, and truthfulness was predicted by their travel experience, visiting experience to Epcot and other Central Florida's theme parks, demographic characteristics, and several variables that measured perceived authenticity. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted in the world's third busiest theme park and therefore, guests' perception of “staged authenticity” may be different in other theme parks. The instrument used was adopted from studies that were not conducted in the theme park industry. The study provided a theoretical contribution on the measurement and prediction of guests' level of perceived authenticity when visiting a theme park. This theoretical framework can be extended to other hospitality operations that present “staged authenticity” settings like hotels, restaurants, festivals, events, retail outlets and more. The findings may also be useful for investors, designers, operators, and marketing executives when developing “staged authenticity” experiences for different market segments. Originality/value – With the continuing growth of the global theme park industry, coupled with its high capital investment in architecture and design, it is necessary to investigate the impact of “staged authenticity” attributes on the overall guest experience.