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Sensory activation or distraction? Investigating tourists’ processing of aesthetics and authenticity at “New Type” bookstores

Zhiyong Li,Ziyu Luo,Xinyi Liu

Published 2025 in Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT The newly emergence of “New Type” bookstores as Internet celebrity attractions was criticized as desecrating for transient visual consumption. This study aims to reveal whether and how the “New Type” bookstores reflect existential authenticity from the perspective of multisensory aesthetics. This study adopts a mixed-methods design. 454 samples were gathered using the questionnaire containing “Sensory Experiential Elicited Protocol”-based questions and Likert scale questionnaires. Results show that Human interaction, meaningful visual symbols, spiritual atmosphere, cultural creative products, and pleasant aromas are the primary sources of aesthetic experience. Both the interaction quality and perceived cultural similarity positively affect aesthetic experience, further prompting existential authenticity. The findings suggest the “New Type” bookstore is a place where tourists can also profoundly experience aesthetics and authenticity via multiple sensory dimensions, providing implications for the construction of cultural tourism space.

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