Abstract
While empowering the revitalization of Chinese historic districts, the rapid development of the tourism industry may also endanger local cultures and streetscapes. To achieve the goal of sustainable development and find an approach for the Chinese historic districts to develop tourism while taking into account landscape conservation, district management, and living convenience, this paper uses expert interviews (including in-depth and Modified Delphi interviews) and structural observation to explore redefining Chinese historic districts and cultural tourism attractiveness in order to provide a hierarchical framework. The research results reveal: 1. The respective redefinitions of a Chinese historic district and cultural tourism attractiveness; 2. A hierarchical framework for the cultural tourism attractiveness of Chinese historic districts, using two aspects—the physical environment and the cultural and natural environments—and five criteria including the morphology of the landscape and tourism infrastructure, along with 21 elements, including the natural and cultural landscapes. This research is expected to provide a theoretical reference for the planning and management of tourism and landscapes in Chinese historic districts.
Highlights
Historic districts reflect the images of a city and form an important part of its historical legacy
The first part covers the redefinitions of two terms: Chinese historic district and cultural tourism attractiveness; the second part covers the establishment of a hierarchical framework for the cultural tourism attractiveness of Chinese historic districts
Considering that the research purpose of this article was not to attract more tourists, but to find a cultural tourism attractiveness that could satisfy both economic development and landscape conservation, the original aspect “marketing strategy” was deleted as a whole based on the suggestions of the expert panel
Summary
Historic districts reflect the images of a city and form an important part of its historical legacy. The cultural value of historic districts still plays a key role in the economic development of modern cities [1,2]. The survival spaces of historic urban landscapes and traditional culture are being compressed by the rapidly developing modern economy with many historic districts bearing memories of the city having declined or disappeared in the process of globalization, urbanization, and commercialization [2,3,4,5,6]. Tourism attractiveness in this article does not focus on tourism development. It is both necessary and imperative that landscape conservation and the revitalization of historic districts’
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