Much has been written about the role of various imaginings of authenticity in the study of heritage tourism. This thesis examines tourists’ and locals’ experiences of two villages in Cornwall, England as a comparative case study of the roles that the perception and performance of authenticity play in heritage tourism. Using Richard Bauman’s work on performance theory in conjunction with Dean MacCannell’s concept of “staged authenticity” and John Urry’s concept of the “post-tourist,” this thesis will show that heritage destinations are emergent, succeeding or failing based on locals’ ability to perform these destinations to their visitors’ satisfaction
