Tourists’ national identity at heritage sites of natural disasters

Abstract

Cultivating national identity at dark heritage sites is of national significance and important for one's sense of belonging. Chinese national identity seems to be a quintessential case to investigate, given nation-building is central to the development of dark heritage tourism in China. However, there is a lack of systematic and in-depth understanding of the factors associated with the construction of national identity among visitors. Drawing on self-categorisation theory, this paper explores visitors' perception of national identity in a dark heritage context of natural disasters. Built on the analysis of 83 semi-structured interviews from two different dark heritage sites in China, a conceptual model illustrating the salience of national identity was developed. The model indicates that Chinese national identity could be facilitated by external stimuli and national identity attributes. The salient national identity is accompanied by emotional reactions and positive evaluation of the national group. The findings might provide managerial insights into nation-building practice and endeavours through dark heritage of natural disasters.