Genius Loci of Ancient Village from the Perspective of Tourists Experience: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

As the spiritual homeland marker of modern urbanites, ancient villages have grown into popular tourist attractions. However, the existing literature lacks a conceptually valid and psychometrically sound scale to measure the existential value of ancient villages that meet the material and spiritual needs of tourists. Guided by the concept of genius loci in architectural phenomenology, this study developed and validated a scale to measure the genius loci of ancient villages from the perspective of tourists experience in the Chinese context. Following multistage scale development and validation procedures, tourists in two World Cultural Heritage ancient villages were sampled in two stages (Study 1, n = 214; Study 2, n = 228) to establish the psychometric properties of a genius loci scale. A three-dimensional (earthbound atmosphere, architectural culture, and spiritual homeland) genius loci measurement with 10 items was identified, and the scale showed good reliability and validity. This study extends the current ancient village tourism literature and provides a measurement tool for further investigation by academics and tourism professionals.