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Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tourism: Research Review and Investigation of Future Agenda

Author

Listed:
  • Qihang Qiu

    (Faculty of Human Geography and Planning, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-680 Poznan, Poland)

  • Yifan Zuo

    (School of Physical Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518061, China
    Shenzhen Tourism College, Jinan University, Shenzhen 518053, China)

  • Mu Zhang

    (Shenzhen Tourism College, Jinan University, Shenzhen 518053, China)

Abstract

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can be a valuable tourism resource for both government and local communities. However, the complex definition and the massive and fragmented nature of ICH data make it hard to review and conclude research trends and future directions of ICH tourism. In this study, 85 keywords extracted from ICH definitions are input in the Web of Science database before collecting papers indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index, the Arts and Humanities Citation Index, and the Conference Proceedings Citation Index-Social Science and Humanities. Later, a systematic literature review of 418 ICH tourism studies from 76 countries published between 2000 and 2021 were conducted based on three groups of questions. The findings mainly illustrated that: (1) Currently research in ICH tourism is mainly composed of three themes: resource planning and sustainability, the impact of tourism development, and tourist behavior and destination marketing; (2) topics related to food tourism, sacred knowledge, traditional management systems, traditional management systems, legends, and myths can achieve high impact; (3) in the last five years, scholars have reduced using the official full name of ICH in tourism studies, while the category of “social practices, rituals and festive events” has become a hot topic since 2010; (4) ecotourism, culinary tourism, festival tourism, and religious tourism are the most discussed in ICH tourism research, and they will still be intensive topics in near future; (5) future directions in ICH tourism research are resultant of three vectors: place making, technology, and environment. The results present a comprehensive picture of current popular ICH topics and predict future directions in the field of ICH tourism. The systematic review of literature can help contribute to both theoretical construction, heritage preservation, and tourism practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Qihang Qiu & Yifan Zuo & Mu Zhang, 2022. "Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tourism: Research Review and Investigation of Future Agenda," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:1:p:139-:d:726046
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yang Jin & Bing Hou & Xiang Kong, 2024. "The Practice Characteristics of Authorized Heritage Discourse in Tourism: Thematic and Spatial," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Yuqing Liu & Ye Li & Wenjie Tao & Qingsheng Wang, 2024. "Measuring intangible cultural heritage image: A scale development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(6), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Xin Wang & Jingjing Lai & Yanlong Guo, 2024. "Study on Tourism Responsiveness and Habitat Environment-Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages in Huizhou Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Peiyu Wu & Xiyue Wang & Yuanshui Huang & Xiaoyan Yang, 2025. "Tourists’ Perceptions and Loyalty of Nanyin Traditional Music in Chinese Music Tourism," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    5. Jing Lv & Yuanlu Chai & Xinyue Hu, 2025. "Synergistic development of intangible cultural heritage and tourism industry: Empirical experiences from Jilin, China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-25, January.
    6. Bakhtiar Feizizadeh & Saeed Fathi & Zahra Ghasmeizad Gonbad & Mohmad Ghasmei & Mohsen Makki, 2023. "A Multiple Geospatial Approach for Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism Potentiality Mapping in Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-30, December.
    7. Tianxin Zhang & Yuliang Yang & Xin Fan & Shengya Ou, 2023. "Corridors Construction and Development Strategies for Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Study about the Yangtze River Economic Belt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.
    8. Wang Xiaojing & Balamuralithara Balakrishnan, 2026. "Intangible Cultural Heritage and Social Media Research: A Systematic Literature Review," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 10(4), pages 8237-8249, April.
    9. Yang Gao & Mengmeng Li & Qingning Li & Keji Huang & Shiwei Shen, 2022. "Inheritors’ Happiness and Its Relevant Factors in Intangible Cultural Heritage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Marko D. Petrović & Tamara Gajić & Shakhislam Laiskhanov & Milan M. Radovanović & Željko Anđelković & Emin Atasoy & Dariga M. Khamitova, 2025. "Do Different Settings Matter in the Economically Sustainable Tourism Approach? A Comparative Study of Serbia, Kazakhstan, and Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-35, May.
    11. Sheling Ye & Lei Shi & Jian Wu & Gwon Hyuk, 2025. "Beyond the Tangible: Factors Influencing Memorable Experiences in Intangible Culture Heritage Tourism in Wuxi, China," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(1), pages 21582440251, February.
    12. Lurdes Esteves & Mário Franco & Margarida Rodrigues, 2026. "Mindfulness in a Business Context, What Future? Bibiliometric Review," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 17(1), pages 2490-2530, February.
    13. Jie Chang & Cheng Long & Song Lu & Rui Han, 2022. "Does Government Positively Support the Spatial Distribution of ICH? Evidence of Data from the Yangtze Delta Region of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Yunxiang Ge & Cheng Lu & Han Gao, 2023. "Constructing an Indicator System for Cultural Sustainability in Chinese Cities under the Objective of Urban Renewal and Capability Measurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-23, September.
    15. Haoran Li & Yixuan Du, 2025. "Sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism: An Extended ECM Analysis of Destination Performance on Long-Term Tourist Loyalty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-22, August.
    16. Ge Shi & Ziying Feng & Jingran Zhang & Jinghai Xu & Yu Chen & Jiahang Liu & Yutong Wang, 2024. "An Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Distribution and Influencing Factors of National Intangible Cultural Heritage Along the Grand Canal of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-17, October.
    17. May Newisar & Gehan Selim & Meng Li, 2024. "Place-Based Perspectives on Understanding the Value of Sustainable Heritage-Inspired Arts and Crafts in Jordan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-22, August.
    18. Jung-Jung Chang & Ruey-Feng Chen & Chia-Li Lin, 2022. "Exploring the Driving Factors of Urban Music Festival Tourism and Service Development Strategies Using the Modified SIA-NRM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-27, June.
    19. Wei Xiao & Bowen Yu & Hanyue Zhang, 2025. "Tourist Loyalty in Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism: The Roles of Perceived Attributes, Involvement, and Cultural Identity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-27, September.

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