The effects of creative tourism experience and its perceived value on destination authenticity and behavioral intentions within the scope of intangible cultural heritage: The case of Cappadocia

As the bearers of culture, local communities continuously reproduce intangible cultural heritage elements in unique forms and transmit them from generation to generation. These elements provide cultural experiences that cater to tourists seeking authentic experiences and desiring active participation in those experiences. Among these cultural experiences, one of the types of tourism that evokes tourists' emotions and leaves a lasting impression through emotional interactions is creative tourism. Creative tourism not only enhances tourists' creative skills but also makes them an integral part of the authentic experience. Within this interaction, the perceived value of the experience influences tourists' perception of authenticity when presented in its original form. Indeed, tourists' increased interest in cultural activities that allow them to access the background of a culture and develop their creative skills stems from their desire to participate in authentic experiences. When tourists engage in creative experiences in their authentic form, their intention to relive these experiences in different settings is also positively influenced. This study aims to empirically examine the impact of creative tourism experiences within the scope of intangible cultural heritage and the perceived value of these experiences on destination authenticity perception and behavioral intention. As the research field, the Cappadocia region, the most well-known destination in our country for pottery-making experiences, was selected. Data were collected from 583 tourists who visited Cappadocia and participated in pottery-making experiences through surveys conducted in 25 businesses determined using the cluster sampling method. The findings related to the scales of the research variables were described using descriptive statistics (percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation). Parametric tests (independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA) were used to determine whether participants' opinions on the relevant variables differed based on their individual characteristics. Correlation analysis was conducted to identify relationships between variables, while simple linear regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses. The analyses revealed a significant and positive relationship between the creative tourism experience and the perceived value of the creative tourism experience, as well as a significant and positive relationship between destination authenticity perception and behavioral intention. The study also found that the creative tourism experience and its sub-dimensions have a significant impact on destination authenticity perception and behavioral intention. Additionally, the perceived value of the creative tourism experience was found to have a significant effect on destination authenticity and its sub-dimensions, as well as on behavioral intention. Based on the research findings, it is recommended that local stakeholders play a role in making the necessary investments to increase the number of regionally focused development initiatives in which the local community actively participates. Additionally, necessary measures should be taken to ensure that pottery-making activities are presented in their authentic form and to prevent the destination and pottery-making activities from straying from authenticity due to commercial concerns. Additionally, pottery craftsmen in the workshop should provide more information to tourists about pottery making, its history, how it is made in its authentic form, and the tradition it continues. They should increase the level of interaction and allow tourists to create pottery on their own without too much external interference, refraining from intervening in their creativity.