Heritage Tourism and Cultural Identity in China: Challenges and Opportunities for Development

Abstract

Purpose: Being culturally rich and historically significant, China is seeing a growth in heritage and cultural tourism. From being seen as a country with a singular national identity, local communities are increasingly marketing their local heritage and culture for heritage tourism. Theoretical framework: These activities include the generation of money and the facilitation of the development of infrastructure. The advantages are mutually beneficial; for example, travelers report feeling psychologically better after participating in heritage tourism activities because they are motivated by feelings of nostalgia and a sense of cultural connection. Design/methodology/approach: In this regard, authenticity becomes a state driven effort, where values in communities are expected to change as needed. For example, in Lijiang the local Dongba religious rituals which had been included into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register had been reinvented to be more suited for tourist consumption. Findings: These activities include the generation of money and the facilitation of the development of infrastructure. The advantages are mutually beneficial; for example, travelers report feeling psychologically better after participating in heritage tourism activities because they are motivated by feelings of nostalgia and a sense of cultural connection. Despite this, the advantages come with certain negatives, which manifest themselves as physical and cultural harms that are incurred as a result of the situation. Research, Practical & Social implications: To begin, it paves the way for specific historic places to become a ritualized channel via which collective social memory may be conveyed and gathered together. To elaborate, heritage tourism enables a person to validate their membership in a nation based on the imagined reality that has been established through the course of their history. Originality/value: Mentioned three perspectives in authenticity in China, namely spatial separation, value shifting and emotional banishment. In this regard, authenticity becomes a state driven effort, where values in communities are expected to change as needed.