Too Much of a Good Thing? Visitor Congestion Management Issues for Popular World Heritage Tourist Attractions

World Heritage Sites (WHS) are often popular and primary attractions for a destination for many reasons, in particular the economic benefits they bring in terms of increased visitation and extension of stay. However, without active management to reduce negative impacts, such as congestion, both tourists and the host community can become caught up in a downward spiral of poor visitor experiences and degradation of World Heritage values. Accordingly, this paper examines the nature of congestion and its impact on visitor experience at two popular WHS attractions in Macao. It also provides some insights into Chinese outbound tourist behaviour and visitation patterns. These observations should be of interest to planners and site managers of popular World Heritage attractions elsewhere in the world as China begins to adopt mass international leisure travel.     

Exploring the effects of a ‘new’ listing of a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the case of Singapore Botanic Gardens

This study examines how the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site (WHS) listing impacts on push-pull factors, satisfaction and revisit intention. Data were collected on visitors to the Singapore Botanic Gardens before and after the WHS listing was awarded. The pre-listing and post-listing samples were compared and results revealed significant differences between the samples. Differences were observed for the importance of various push and pull factors as well as satisfaction and revisit intention. This study provides researchers and practitioners with greater insight into the effects of the WHS listing and recommends potential strategies for future marketing communications.     

The effects of community factors on residents’ perceptions toward World Heritage Site inscription and sustainable tourism development

Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, we analyzed data from 410 questionnaires completed by a sample of residents from the vicinity of the George Town World Heritage Site (WHS), Malaysia, to investigate the effects of community factors on residents’ perceptions and support for WHS conservation and tourism development. To conceptualize these relationships, we developed a framework based on social exchange theory (SET) and previous empirical evidence. While community attachment, cultural attitudes, community involvement, and community gain had positive effects on residents’ perceptions, the effects of community members’ gain and status consistency were particularly strong. Our results suggest that perceptions strongly influence support for WHS conservation and tourism development. Having examined a number of new resident perception factors, this study makes a significant theoretical and methodological contribution to the tourism and resident perception literature. Furthermore, this study has practical implications for future sustainable community development in the George Town WHS.     

Motivation,emotion and world heritage status in discerning the heritage tourists: A segmentation perspective

Heritage tourists' motives are heterogeneous but few studies examine the relationship between these motives, emotions felt after the visit, and tourists' perceptions of the attributes that contribute to World Heritage Status (WHS) listing of a site. Using cognitive appraisal theory (CAT) as the theoretical lens, we evaluate the relationship between motivation, emotion and site characteristics. Based on a sample of 1531 international visitors to Petra, we segment their motives and emotions and profile these with respect to perceptions of the attributes for WHS listing. The results show the existence of two motivation clusters “General Tourists” and “Heritage Tourists”, with the latter being drawn to Petra for reasons related to both site characteristics and heritage. Three clusters of emotions were identified namely, “Positive Arousals”, “Low Arousals” and “Mixed Arousals”. Significant relationships were identified between the motivation and emotion clusters and their respective perceptions of the attributes for WHS listing. A logit model confirmed that the emotion felt by the different clusters can be predicted by motivation clusters, demographic and travel characteristics. Implications for theory and practice are offered.     

An application of the vicious circle schema to the World Heritage Site of Macau

Visitor congestion is a phenomenon that can be observed in many World Heritage Sites (WHSs). Is this a sign that the WHSs have entered the mature phase of the tourism area life cycle? In addressing this question, this study applies as an alternative explanation the vicious circle schema, using the WHS of Macau. The research uses multiple methods: photo interpretation and analysis, a face-to-face questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews with Macau's local residents and governors, and a simultaneous measure of visitor congestion by 140 research assistants. The results of this case study support the four hypotheses that are integral to the vicious circle schema, such as the expansion of the tourist area, a high proportion of shorter visits, congestion and a down-grading of the quality of the tourism products. It concludes that the vicious circle schema is applicable to the WHS of Macau, and the phenomenon of overcrowding might not be a signal for the consolidation stage of the WHS of Macau.     

Balancing Values of Outstanding Universality with Conservation and Management at Three United Kingdom Cultural World Heritage Sites

An analysis of three of the United Kingdom's cultural World Heritage Sites (WHS) illustrates, inter alia, the vigour and commitment of these sites in their application of the World Heritage Committee's recommendations. The cultural sites discussed in this case study include the Tower of London, Blenheim Palace and Maritime Greenwich. Attention is paid to the interrelationship between UK heritage legislation and UNESCO conventions and guidelines. The category of cultural landscape is analysed against the background of 20th century ideas concerning landscape. The concomitant consideration of the gradual impact of management plan requirements indicates the direction in which WHS will be aligned as the 21st century progresses. The 21st century developments also reinforce observations regarding the uniqueness of every aspect of each site, even when narrowed down to three sites of only one of the signatory nations to the World Heritage Convention.     

Community participation in World Heritage Site conservation and tourism development

This study investigates the factors contributing to community participation in a World Heritage Site (WHS) using Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability (MOA) model. We examined the effects of these factors on three levels of community participation. The findings showed that motivation had the greatest positive effect on the low level of community participation. Opportunity had the greatest effect on the high level of community participation. Among the dimensions of ability, namely awareness and knowledge, the findings showed that more aware residents were more interested in low level of community participation, whereas residents with more knowledge were more interested in high level of community participation. This study contributes to the tourism development and WHS conservation and management literature by examining the effects of MOA factors on three levels of community participation. Moreover, this study has a number of practical implications for local authorities in terms of community participation.     

Book Review

World Heritage Sites (WHSs) are motivated by such diverse reasons as heritage celebration, alarm calls, tourism branding and marketing and place making. Irrespective of the primary motivation for their creation, WHSs are often used to develop tourism based on cultural and natural resources of international significance. Heritage conservation may or may not be in agreement with what local populations perceive as desirable development paths. We conducted a survey among the island community of Vega in Norway that received WHS status in 2004 motivated by conservation alarm, tourism marketing and place making. We examined the local population's views of the key aspects of future development and how this related to WHS status. The islanders placed high value on social and community conditions as well as heritage linked to cultural and natural resources. While a majority supported tourism based on sustainable use of heritage they also felt that WH listing should not limit development opportunities. There were differences between younger people and adults. WHS may be an effective agent of sustainable tourism development if the main goals and strategies of the WHS are clearly understood and prioritized in the local community, leave room and perhaps link to other development opportunities.     

World Heritage: Exploring the Tension Between the National and the ‘Universal’

The complex issues of conservation, politics, tourism management and ownership have emerged as critical issues within the World Heritage debate and specifically within heritage tourism research. Within this context, this paper focuses on issues of ownership and belonging and argues that there exists a link between the conceptual inconsistencies inherent in the World Heritage idea and the tensions between the national and the ‘universal’ evident at a number of World Heritage Sites. That is, heritage sites that are deemed to be of ‘outstanding universal value’ and are bestowed with the World Heritage accolade are consequently no longer expected to be perceived as symbols of particular national identities, but as heritage belonging to all humankind. This, of course, provokes a series of debates over the issues of ownership and belonging of such heritage, namely between the national and the ‘universal’ suggesting that it is possible to perceive World Heritage as synonymous with contested heritage. The paper explores these issues of ownership and focuses on the Acropolis, symbol of the World Heritage idea, as a case study utilising an exploratory semiotic analysis of the promotional material released by the Greek National Tourism Organisation over the last five years.     

Tourism,Partnership and a Bunch of Old Fossils: Management for Tourism at the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site

The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, declared in 2001, is Britain's first mainland World Heritage Site (WHS) inscribed for its natural values, and one of only eight in the world designated according to geological criteria. The study of exposed rock strata and dinosaur fossils found here has made – and continues to make – a major contribution to understanding the Earth's history; in addition, the WHS covers fine scenery and several nature reserves. Administratively, management of the site is complex because of its mosaic of owners and occupiers and, as WH status carries no statutory powers in the UK, the partnership approach was the only obvious solution. The Site's coastal towns and their rural hinterl and have been afflicted by economic and social decline in recent decades, and the Jurassic Coast initiative is being used as a tool for regeneration. There has been some success already in efforts by local entrepreneurs and the public sector to exploit the opportunities for a renaissance both of the economy and local morale. This paper examines the planning and early implementation stages of the Jurassic Coast programme, detailing successes and examining the linkages between the theory and practice of collaborative management.     

Assessing the economic impact of a UNESCO World Heritage designation

Grand Pré Historic Site in Nova Scotia (Canada) is in the process of applying for a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site (WHS) designation. Conventional wisdom is that such a designation would generate public awareness and increase visitation to the site. The goal of this paper is to estimate the impact of a WHS designation on tourist visitation and related expenditures. Various tourism statistics (covering 1990–2008) for Nova Scotia and its only other established UNESCO site – Lunenburg (designated in 1995) – served as data. Regression analysis produced an estimate of the tourist visitation impact that a WHS designation had on Lunenburg, and could be expected to have on Grand Pré. An increase of 6.2% in tourist visitors due to a WHS designation was estimated. Survey data collected at Grand Pré provided average spending per visitor. The economic impacts were analyzed under both a projected and a historical scenario of visitation. Based on its 10-year historic visitation average, a WHS designation for Grand Pré would generate an increase of 3000 visitors per year. These visitors would generate spending of approximately $200,000 annually in the local economy. Such spending would provide a boost to the local tourism industry, which has experienced significant decline in recent years.     

World Heritage Site: an effective brand for an archeological site?

This study examines whether branding archeological sites as World Heritage Sites (WHSs) will affect potential demand patterns. The study's research objectives are (1) to explore awareness of potential visitors to the brand and logo of WHS; (2) to investigate the effects of the designation on tourists' future behaviors; (3) to clarify whether the number of sites designated (3 versus 10) has an effect on future visitation patterns; and (4) to reveal possible relationships between the perception of a site as part of the world heritage and UNESCO's designation. This study commenced with an exploratory stage followed by administration of structured questionnaires focusing on inbound tourists to Caesarea, an archeological historical site in Israel. The findings indicate only moderate visitor awareness of the WHS title and logo, implying low brand equity as well as insignificant effects on future demand patterns. Moreover, visitors' willingness to pay (WTP) as well as overall motivation to visit seems to decline following the designation. However, visitors' perception of the site as world heritage is positively linked to WTP. The number of designated sites within a particular state is found to have a positive effect on future demand patterns. Based on the findings specific recommendations are offered.     

The search for World Heritage brand awareness beyond the iconic heritage: a case study of the Historic Centre of Macao

The Historic Centre of Macao was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) in 2005. The question arises regarding the value of the designation ‘WHS’ and what it means to tourists who visit. The researchers used intercept surveys and participant observation to determine brand awareness among visitors. Regardless of how much the tourism industry and UNESCO promote the ‘brand’, if visitors are unaware of it and do not respond, the economic and cultural values may be negatively affected.

The results showed the average visitor had only a vague understanding of WHS and it was not a major motivator for their visit. However, the general theme of culture was of high interest, as was a visit to the must-see icon attraction of St Paul's Ruins (the highlight of the Historic Centre of Macao). That is, there appears to be a good level of cultural and heritage awareness but minimal WHS awareness.     

Sustainable tourism development and residents’ perceptions in World Heritage Site destinations

Set in Malaysia’s Lenggong Valley World Heritage Site (WHS), this paper uses stakeholder theory to explore the heterogeneity of positive and negative perceptions among residents and their effects on residents’ support for and participation in sustainable tourism development. Data from 221 completed questionnaire surveys revealed heterogeneous negative perceptions across residents’ age, level of education and economic involvement in tourism. Moreover, residents’ positive perceptions had a positive effect on their support for and participation in tourism development. This study contributes to the resident perception literature by using stakeholder theory to conceptualise the heterogeneity of residents’ perceptions and by examining the effects of those perceptions on their support for and participation in tourism development in a rural WHS destination in the developing world. Furthermore, the findings of this study have practical implications for local authorities aiming to improve residents’ support and participation in tourism planning for sustaining tourism development.     

Tourists perceptions of World Heritage Site and its designation

This exploratory study clarifies visitors' perceptions, meanings and conceptualizations associated with the World Heritage Site designation. In-depth open as well as semi-structured interviews were conducted with 57 participants. The findings indicate that WHS designation has several effects relevant to the understanding of the concept of world heritage, and visitors' experiences at such sites. The findings' implications are discussed in terms of both theory and practice.     

Tourists' intention to visit heritage hotels at George Town World Heritage Site

George Town, Penang, has always been one of the most popular destinations among Malaysian and international tourists. In 2008, George Town was accorded a listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS). With the listing, increasing tourist arrivals and intentions to visit heritage hotels have been very promising in recent years, prompting the emergence of the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings into heritage hotels. In line with this development, this study examines the effects of perceived price, experience quality, prior knowledge, perceived authenticity, and social influence on tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels at the George Town WHS, Penang, with perceived value as a mediator. The findings indicate that perceived price, experience quality, prior knowledge, perceived authenticity, social influence and perceived value exert positive and significant effects on tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels. The study also determines the mediating effect of perceived value on the relationships between independent variables and the intention to visit heritage hotels. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the attributes that affect tourists’ intention to visit heritage hotels at the George Town WHS and helps the owners and operators of heritage hotels to formulate future strategies in designing and promoting their services.