Stakeholder engagement in China world heritage tourism : taking Fujian Tulou as a case study

Abstract

During the past decade, China has shown unusual enthusiasm for gaining World Heritage status in anticipation of a substantial rise in tourism profits.However, World Heritage recognition is not always beneficial to heritage sites. Such recognition not only attracts tourist flows and creates potential development opportunities; it also poses threats for heritage conservation and increases the social contradictions and cleavages in such sites. This research examines the relationship between heritage conservation and tourism via the case study approach. The target case for analysis is the vernacular Hakka heritage tulou sites in the Chinese province of Fujian. Combined research methods comprising in-depth interviews and questionnaire surveys among representatives of key stakeholder groups were adopted to examine local tourism development from a variety of perspectives. On-site participant observations and secondary archival research collection were employed as supplementary methods.

The stakeholder analysis framework was adopted and modified to examine stakeholder engagement in tulou heritage tourism. Three key stakeholder groups were the focus of investigation: the local government, local residents and domestic tourists. Exploration of their roles in tourism development revealed an imbalance in the partnership between the three groups, which may have consequences for sustainable such development. The investigation was then extended to such secondary stakeholder groups as the central government, tourism entrepreneurs, UNESCO, tourism planners and scholars, the mass media and inbound tourists. The involvement of each group is herein analysed to generate a stakeholder map of tulou tourism.

The findings show that heritage tourism development is usually accompanied by tensions and conflicts among economic, cultural and political goals. The partnership between three key stakeholder groups is imbalanced, and consequently reforce the dominance of government over tulou residents and tourists in heritage tourism contexts. Only when this triangular partnership achieves balance can tulou heritage tourism achieve sustainable and healthy development.

It is suggested that stakeholder collaboration is great need in order to achieve sustainable tourism development. In sum, this thesis applies stakeholder analysis into heritage tourism. The research findings herein contribute useful insights for future tourism development and have important policy implications for tourism management. Besides policy implications, this research has some theoretical contributions to heritage tourism literature as it modifies stakeholder framework for future tourism studies.