On April 8 2023, FBM arranged an online seminar by Dr. Ge Zhan. The seminar topic is: “Too much symbolic can hurt: Assessing destination authenticity”.

Dr. Ge Zhan, an Associate Professor of School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Southern University of Science and Technology, was graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr. Ge Zhan's research interests are Al applications, digital platforms and cyberpsychology. He used to work at UIC, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Lingnan University (Hong Kong).

At the beginning of the seminar, Dr. Ge Zhan introduced the background, purpose, and significance of the research. He said when evaluating tourism products or services, consumers are not only balancing quality with cost, but seeking authentic experience. His study analyzed multi-source data from 176 tourist destinations in Sichuan Province, China in 2021, showcased the four dimensions (i.e. integrity, continuity, credibility and symbolism) of destination authenticity, and also provided new evidences for analyzing the interrelationships between different dimensions of destination authenticity. He found that integrity and continuity are important drivers of credibility, but destinations with greater symbolism are associated with a lower level of integrity and history. Finally, Dr. Zhan suggested that practitioners can give different weight to different dimensions of destination authenticity when allocating resources and budgets; also, tourism organizations can use composite frameworks that integrate different types of data sources to rate destinations.

Dr. Zhan also took the opportunity to share PhD opportunities at Southern University of Science and Technology. During the Q&A session, the audience had a passionate discussion with Dr. Zhan. Audience asked in-depth questions about the research study design and implications, and some students inquired about the PhD program. Dr. Zhan provided detailed responses to every question.

Dr. Zhan also expressed his hope that in the future, Southern University of Science and Technology can engage in more academic cooperation with UIC, and provide greater development opportunities for both institutions’ teachers and students.