Abstract
Railway heritage (RH) conservation protects significant industrial culture and can be instrumental in revitalizing post-industrial economies. China has abundant RH resources needing conservation to ensure their long-term survival. The purpose of this study was to define the value of RH based on an improved value evaluation system, discuss how the results influence RH tourism, and provide proposals for sustainable tourism accordingly. Firstly, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to evaluate the value of six RH sites from China’s First Industrial Heritage List. Then, the value advantages of the RH sites were analyzed by making comparisons among the six in the view of sustainable development, and the correlative details were interpreted to demonstrate the strengths and advantages of each resource. Finally, recommendations for RH tourism development were put forward based on these value advantages. The findings indicate that analyzing value advantages among similar resources in a competitive setting strengthens conservation and development decisions. Thus, balanced and sustainable development of RH tourism can be accomplished.
Highlights
From colonial to high-speed, railways have played an important role in the different historical periods of China
The motivation for this research was our concern for the survival of the large numbers of railway heritage (RH) sites in China, how to make these heritage sites last, and how to plan for sustainable sites and tourist experiences
This paper provides a comprehensive approach on how to define a focus on sustainable RH tourism development
Summary
From colonial to high-speed, railways have played an important role in the different historical periods of China. The railway is the core that is lined by related functional, cultural, and historical heritage resources. In comparison to the significance of general, non-RH industrial heritage that display technological development, novel ways of production, and cultural continuity, RH is more strongly connected to distinct local cultural regions, because it adapted to challenging terrain, supported local production and exports, and helped maintain cultural continuity [3,4]. Since RH tourism is a connection between the past and the present, developing RH tourism is a useful tool for sustainable heritage conservation including regional economic and cultural improvement [7]. Because of more than thirteen RH sites in China, it is necessary to define the importance of them and provide an adaptive setting for long-term survival
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