Pursuing social cohesion in cultural tourism destinations: liminality as a mediator

Abstract

ABSTRACT The social impact of cultural tourism remains controversial even though tourism development seeks a socially and economically balanced outcome. This article explores the potential of liminality as a means of explaining how cultural tourism development affects social cohesion at the neighbourhood level, particularly through open spaces. A quantitative survey of 349 respondents from two national-level tourism districts in Shanghai, Yuyuan and Xinhua, was conducted using the structural equation modeling technique. Three attributes of cultural tourism destinations (CTDs) that affect social cohesion – cultural expressions, spatial features, and management – as measured by 12 items were identified and validated in the study. The results emphasized that CTDs’ cultural expressions, such as the form and appearance of buildings, had a strong positive impact on social cohesion. However, the connotation of social cohesion in CTDs is more about latent cohesion than manifest cohesion, which means people share place attachment and a sense of belonging without necessarily having closer interactions. The findings also indicate that liminality, which provides a sense of reviving and freedom, mediates CTDs’ contribution to social cohesion. The study provides a reference for tourism planning and management to enhance social cohesion and further achieve consolidated tourism development by facilitating liminality.