Abstract:

This study examines online destination brand experience (ODBE), destination brand authenticity (DBA), and tourists’ behavioral intentions toward Historic Jeddah, Survey data from 400 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, covariance-based structural equation modeling with diagonally weighted least squares, and bootstrap mediation analysis, Respondents reported high levels of ODBE (M = 4.53, SD = 0.62), DBA (M = 4.61, SD = 0.51), and behavioral intentions (M = 4.64, SD = 0.55). ODBE was positively associated with DBA (β = .841, p < .001); DBA was positively associated with behavioral intentions (β = .772, p < .001); and ODBE retained a smaller direct association with behavioral intentions (β = .143, p = .030). The indirect effect through DBA was also supported (B = .449, 95% bootstrap CI [.342, .565]). These findings suggest that authenticity is an important mechanism linking digital experience with intended tourist behavior. For heritage destinations, digital content should combine sensory and cognitive appeal with credible representations of cultural continuity and distinctiveness. Because the study used a cross-sectional, purposive-sample design, the findings should be interpreted as associative rather than causal.