Sustainable Tourism and Property Rights: A Case Study on the World Heritage Site of Wulingyuan in China from the Perspective of Property Rights Economics

Abstract

Since the end of the last century, heritage damage caused by inappropriate tourism development in China has occurred constantly in practice. Property rights economics suggests that an institution of property rights plays a key role in property conservation and utilisation. Cultural and natural heritage actually comprise a kind of peculiar scarce property. Therefore, the institution of property rights is crucial for heritage conservation and tourism development. The 30-year tourism history of the Wulingyuan World Heritage Site demonstrates that the heritage damage occurring in China is mainly caused by its present institution of property rights for heritage. Thus, sustainable tourism is the logical choice for solving the conflicts between tourism development and heritage conservation. To achieve this goal, further reform of the present institution of property rights for heritage in China should be prioritised, aimed at establishing clear definition, independent government regulation, and efficient market mechanisms.