Page 148 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Cultural tourism and lessons from China

1. Introduction exacerbated by the lack of early risk assessment tools and
inadequate emergency response capacity (Fu et al., 2022).
Cultural heritage is regarded as an inheritance that In Australia, insufficient cultural heritage protection has
communities value a resource comprising tangible, been found to negatively impact the sustainable livelihoods
intangible, and natural assets. These assets contribute of residents, who are often compelled to adapt to the
to sustainable urban development by ensuring the demands of tourism (Liu et al., 2022a). In Spain, the lack
preservation of cultural resources across generations (Liu of a coherent heritage discourse regarding the adaptive
& Chen, 2024; Newton et al., 2021; Town et al., 2021). reuse of cultural assets amid deindustrialization and
Cultural heritage is an important element in the cultural
expression of diverse communities, encompassing esthetic urban redevelopment has raised concerns. In some cases,
and symbolic resources such as myths, stories, customs, working-class memory activism has influenced urban
and social traditions that foster cultural recognition within design decisions related to landmark preservation (Rosa,
2024). Similarly, in Italy, entities responsible for cultural
a given territory (Pariona-Luque et al., 2023; Tahseen
& Aljumaily, 2020). In addition to this, cultural heritage heritage conservation struggle with decision-making when
serves as one of the most important economic resources prioritizing assets for preservation (Santosuosso, 2022),
of a region, particularly for tourism, by generating which has led to protests, occupations, and informal place-
employment opportunities and income sources, thereby making initiatives that drive community development
contributing to poverty reduction (Amakawa et al., 2020). (Camerin, 2024). Meanwhile, Ecuador faces challenges
However, Hussein et al. (2020) and Yang (2020) warn that related to the absence of a strategic vision, territorial
unregulated tourism development can jeopardize cultural planning, and a collaborative management framework
heritage preservation if sustainable tourism plans are not among local stakeholders to promote tourism development
implemented to prevent resource overexploitation and (Mendoza et al., 2022).
adverse community impact. Previous studies have shown that rural tourism is highly
Given these concerns, the effective management of sought after due to the unique experiences it offers, such
a territory’s tourism heritage is essential for developing as interaction with local communities and opportunities
strategies that promote tourism while ensuring to learn about new cultures and local production
sustainability. According to Leonady et al. (2021), (Mwesiumo et al., 2022; Ore et al., 2020; Ridderstaat et
tourism development involves a set of actions aimed at al., 2022; Zhu et al., 2025). In addition, some scholars
designing and implementing projects that attract more have highlighted tourism development as a critical factor
visitors to an area, thereby stimulating economic growth. in economic growth and poverty reduction, emphasizing
Effective tourism management requires a comprehensive the need to preserve the cultural heritage that underpins
understanding of a region’s governance model to identify this activity (Croes et al., 2021; Li et al., 2022; Zhang et
its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, al., 2023). However, the tourism literature lacks solid,
which can inform the formulation of ideal strategies for accurate, and up-to-date evidence on the relationship
tourism development (Maulana & Pratama, 2021; Uribe- between cultural heritage and tourism development in
Hernandez et al., 2023). In this context, a sustainable the countries of the Americas. This study aims to fill this
approach to tourism management is crucial. As Ginting & gap by analyzing the tangible and intangible cultural
Ferani (2019) emphasize, tourism has become the leading heritage of the district of Uchuraccay, Peru, to evaluate its
industry in the market, making it imperative to preserve influence on tourism development in the area. Uchuraccay
natural and archeological resources to ensure its long-term is notable not only for its historical importance but also
viability. Another important measure to promote tourism for its rich cultural heritage, which includes oral traditions,
development is the creation of tourist routes that improve ancestral agricultural practices, and a natural landscape
site accessibility and attract a large number of visitors that preserves unique elements of the Andean region. This
(Idajati & Nugroho, 2019). In summation, proper tourism selection of this district is motivated by both the need to
heritage management, a strong focus on sustainability, explore an under-researched location and its potential to
and the implementation of effective strategies are a key to serve as a reference for rural and cultural tourism within
fostering long-term tourism development. the Andean context.
Current research highlights the significant challenges Therefore, this research seeks to evaluate local
and risks associated with cultural heritage management perceptions of the relationship between cultural heritage
worldwide, underscoring the need to learn from these and tourism development in Uchuraccay, contributing
contexts to prevent similar pitfalls. In China, cultural valuable information to the existing international
heritage remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters, literature on cultural heritage and tourism. Specifically, it

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.5862