Exploring Existential Authenticity in Sardinian Mamuthones and Issohadores Carnival

Given the centrality of the concept of authenticity in cultural tourism studies, the purpose of this research is to frame the case study of the Mamuthones and Issohadores carnival within this debate. Authenticity has been largely discussed by scholars from a broad range of perspectives. In particular, the basis for our work will be the concept of existential authenticity. While previous studies suggest that tourism can offer escape from everyday inauthentic life, earliest contributions show how tourism can foster the adoption of an authentic life beyond the trip. Whatever the meaning is, this festival attracts every year a number of visitors. Our question is why are tourists attracted by this kind of event? With this in mind we will try to understand whether and how the concept of existential authenticity is related to the Mamuthones and Issohadores carnival, trying to identify what the attributes could be that lead us thinking that experiencing this event could convey to tourists the feelings associated to existential authenticity. This constitutes the first step of a broader study who aims to explore, through a phenomenological approach, the experience of tourists of this event and to compare it with similar carnivals in the Mediterranean and elsewhere.