Page 119 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The role of personal and collective factors in

driving residents’ willingness to engage in
tourism at cultural heritage sites: A case study of

the Ming Tombs Scenic Area, Beijing, China

Linlin Dai* and Yujie Fan
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking
University, Beijing, China

Abstract

Cultural heritage sites, celebrated for their unique historical and cultural significance,
are increasingly recognized as key drivers of tourism development. Local residents,
as crucial stakeholders, play a pivotal role in the sustainable development and
conservation of these sites through their emotional and behavioral engagement. This
study delves into the multifaceted determinants – spanning individual and collective
*Corresponding author: levels – that influence residents’ willingness to engage in cultural heritage tourism.
Linlin Dai Focusing on the Ming Tombs Scenic Area in Beijing, China, a UNESCO World Heritage
(linlindai@pku.edu.cn)
site, this research draws on data from 202 meticulously collected and validated
Citation: Dai, L. & Fan, Y. (2025). questionnaires completed by residents. By integrating the cognitive–emotional–
The role of personal and collective
factors in driving residents’ behavioral framework with community embeddedness theory and employing
willingness to engage in tourism at structural equation modeling, this study identifies the pivotal factors driving
cultural heritage sites: A case study residents’ willingness to engage in tourism development. The findings underscore
of the Ming Tombs Scenic Area, the substantial influence of residents’ cognitive evaluations of heritage values on their
Beijing, China. Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism, 7(2): emotional attachment to the locale, which, in turn, shapes their behavioral intentions
5739. toward tourism development. Furthermore, the research reveals that community
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.5739 embeddedness significantly impacts both residents’ perceptions of heritage value
Received: October 31, 2024 and their behavioral intentions. This research emphasizes the necessity of aligning
Revised: November 22, 2024 residents’ personal sentiments with broader community dynamics to promote
sustainable tourism development at cultural heritage sites. The insights provide
Accepted: December 19, 2024 valuable guidance for policymakers and industry professionals in achieving a delicate
Published online: February 5, balance between cultural heritage preservation, community welfare enhancement,
2025 and economic development within the heritage tourism sector.
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the Keywords: Cognitive; Emotional; Behavioral; Community embeddedness; Cultural
Creative Commons Attribution- heritage sites
Non-Commercial 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all
non-commercial use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is 1. Introduction
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience The notion of World Heritage encompasses a diverse array of cultural artifacts,
Publishing remains neutral with monuments, and natural landscapes recognized globally for their exceptional
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional significance and universal values. This prestigious designation is categorized into
affiliations. three distinct categories: World Cultural Heritage, World Natural Heritage, and Mixed

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.5739