The term, which originates from Greek, means authenticity, credibility, and reliability. In the context of leisure tourism, it is seen as a motivating factor for travel: According to this line of argument, the external control of people, “the cold rationality of factories, offices, residential buildings, and transportation facilities, the impoverishment of interpersonal relationships,” etc., in modern industrial and service societies lead people to leave "because they no longer feel comfortable where they are; where they work and where they live." Instead, they seek authenticity on their vacation trips, an unalienated and self-determined life, unspoiled nature, and genuine social relationships.
Another variation on the concept of authenticity can be found in the educated middle-class tradition of study trips, which were intended to seek out and experience a cultural and historical reality that was as unadulterated as possible by foreign influences. MacCannell (1973) sees tourists in the tradition of pilgrims who want to relive the authenticity of important religious events through the genius loci or “aura” (Benjamin 1936/1963) of a place.
Source: Fuchs, W. (2021). Tourismus, Hotellerie und Gastronomie von A bis Z. Walter de Gruyter.