How soundscape shapes restorative experience in a world heritage site: The mediating role of cultural authenticity at Mount Emei, China

Sound plays an important role in heritage tourism experiences, yet limited research has examined how visitors' positive perception of the sacred heritage soundscape supports restorative experience in World Heritage settings. This study investigated the relationships among positive heritage soundscape perception, cultural authenticity, and restorative experience at Mount Emei, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China. Data were collected from 502 visitors across 10 sampling points using questionnaire surveys and on-site acoustic measurements. Structural equation modeling showed that visitors' positive perception of the heritage soundscape was significantly and positively associated with restorative experience (β = 0.396, p < 0.001) and cultural authenticity (β = 0.405, p < 0.001). Cultural authenticity was also significantly and positively associated with restorative experience (β = 0.568, p < 0.001) and partially mediated the relationship between positive heritage soundscape perception and restorative experience (indirect effect β = 0.230, p < 0.001). The model explained 66.2% of the variance in restorative experience. Physical acoustic data were used to describe the objective sound conditions of the study site and to support the interpretation of the perceptual findings. The results suggest that positive evaluations of sacred heritage soundscapes support restoration through both a direct sensory pathway and an indirect pathway shaped by cultural authenticity.