Sustainable Development for Chinese Urban Heritage Tourism: Insights from Travelers in Shanghai
This presentation was given at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research Association, “Innovations in Destination Marketing Research.”
A slide presentation is included as a supplement to the conference proceedings under a separate title: Urban Heritage Tourism in China: Travelers’ perspectives from Shanghai.
Copyright © 2012 the authors. All rights reserved.
Abstract
As a widely-recognized destination for heritage tourism, China has attracted considerable amount of tourists from both domestically and internationally. Given the delicate nature of heritage in urban areas, this study paid special attention to the sustainable Chinese urban heritage tourism development from travelers’ perspectives based in Shanghai. Such perspectives are taken because their experiences perceived at popular urban heritage tourism attractions are the final tourism products. The authors explored the major factors that impact travelers’ experiences in urban heritage tourism, including visitation environment, economic impact, and community development. Considering the Chinese urban areas tend to be highly populated and undergoing constructions, such insights should facilitate decision makers to achieve the balance between heritage protection and tourism development in urban areas.
