Authenticity?

I came into the country of Morocco with one huge question bouncing around in my head. It was one I was hoping to resolve, but after leaving Morocco's borders, the question only spawned 83 more: What is authenticity? What is authentic tourism? Is authentic experiences while traveling an individual definition? Is there a universal definition? This all-encompassing question is one I held in my head in the 11 days I was able to explore all Morocco had to offer, and pondered throughout discussions in class, "lecturettes" and personal observations. 

While still pondering this question, I have begun to chip away at it through my own personal ruminations and have begun to see the semblance of an answer emerge. To me, authenticity in tourism and cultural travel has an intense connection with the local people and local populations. I would say my most "authentic" experience in Morocco was at the hammam, where I was surrounded by local Rabat women who use the hammam 1-2 times a week - this is one of their gathering spaces, which back in the day was considered a safe space for women to gather and bond. I felt slightly uncomfortable and as if I had no idea what was going on, which also gave me an inkling of the experience being more "authentic" than others, as I was put out of comfort zone and it was an experience that was completely new to me. Also importantly, the hammam experience we had, inside the walls of the medina, was one which was not catered or developed for tourists - if a host sister had not been there to help coordinate our visit, we would have been very lost in understanding what was going on. This is in sharp contrast to our camel-riding experience, which was amazing, but to me screamed "we are tourists!" and lacked authenticity, as it was an experience specifically developed for tourists.

Authenticity in tourism is a question I am still pondering, and may very well continue to ponder for the duration of my life. However, I feel like I have chipped away at it a little bit more after my Moroccan experience.