Page 125 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Heritage tourism: Personal and collective factors

Table 1. Latent constructs and observed variables
Latent constructs Observed variables
Community embeddedness X : Cognitive embedding: I know basic information about the history, culture, and heritage sites of the village.
1
X : Relational embedding: I have a close relationship with most of the residents in the village.
2
X : Structural embedding: I actively participate in various activities in the village.
3
X : Institutional embedding: There are many village rules and regulations that play a role in daily life in the village.
4
Value perception X : Cultural value: Cultural heritage has a very important cultural value.
5
X : Economic value: Cultural heritage can bring economic income from tourism and improve the standard of living.
6
X : Social value: Cultural heritage can help to improve the humanistic qualities of society at large.
7
Local emotion X : I am proud to live near a World Heritage Site.
8
X : My village means a lot to me.
9
X : I have a responsibility as a villager to protect the World Heritage Site.
10
Behavioral intention Y : I support the development of tourism for the cultural heritage.
1
Y : I would like to be a host for tourists.
2
Y : I am willing to participate in tourism decisions or operations in my community.
3
Y : I am willing to accept some inconvenience caused by tourism development.
4
A random sample of 12 participants was engaged to pilot of lower educational attainment among respondents
test the questionnaire, leading to modifications to the can be attributed to the significant percentage of older
wording of specific measuring items. In October 2019, a residents in the sample. Furthermore, female respondents
formal week-long field survey was conducted in Zhaoling have attained lower educational achievement relative
village and Changling village, two localities adjacent to the to their male counterparts; specifically, 77% of female
accessible mausoleums. These villages, with a combined respondents have completed only junior high school or
population of about 1,500, were selected as the research lower, in contrast to 55% of male respondents. A notable
sites. proportion of respondents were merchants of souvenirs
The survey was administered by three graduate students and memorabilia or employees of agricultural tourism
from Peking University, who had received prior training. enterprises, encompassing both owners and staff. These
The investigators explained the questionnaire to each enterprises engage in a wide range of operations aimed at
participant to ensure that responses accurately reflected attracting visitors by providing recreational, educational,
their thoughts. The questionnaires were completed and entertainment experiences, ultimately generating
and collected on-site through random household income.
visits, achieving a 100% recovery rate. A total of 218 Survey data indicate that residents in the Ming Tombs
questionnaires were distributed, and after the exclusion scenic area participate in the tourism sector and related
of incomplete responses, 202 valid questionnaires were commercial activities primarily through three avenues:
retained, yielding a response rate of 93%. (i) Employment within the Ming Tombs scenic area, (ii)
The sociodemographic characteristics of the hosting farm tours, and (iii) offering ancillary services such
respondents are presented in Table 2. Of the respondents, as mobile vending and private tour shuttles. The majority
109 were males (54%) and 93 were females (46%), with of the survey subjects comprised elderly, less educated, and
ages ranging from 20 to 75 years. Notably, 44% were aged low- to middle-income rural residents.
50 or older, and a substantial majority (82%) identified as This study employs structural equation modeling
native to the region. In addition, nearly one-third of the to examine and interpret the data. Structural equation
respondents identified themselves as descendants of the modeling is an advanced multivariate statistical method
original mausoleum custodians. that integrates factor analysis for measurement and path
Concerning the educational qualifications of the analysis for regression modeling. It encompasses a variety
respondents, 10% hold a college degree or higher, while of statistical methodologies, providing a robust framework
29% have completed primary school or lower. Regarding for analyzing latent variables, such as psychological
income, 49% of respondents report monthly incomes constructs and perceptions, which are often difficult
between 1,000 and 3,000 Chinese yuan, while 27% earn to measure using conventional methods. The efficacy
<1,000 Chinese yuan/month. In terms of occupations, 48% of structural equation modeling in evaluating these
are employed in tourism-related professions, while 37% intangible variables has established it as a widely utilized
work in fields unrelated to tourism. The predominance tool in tourism research.

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