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Sustainability Assessment of Cultural Heritage Tourism: Case Study of Pingyao Ancient City in China

Author

Listed:
  • Lisheng Weng

    (School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
    Center for Tourism Planning and Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China)

  • Bao-Jie He

    (Faculty of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia)

  • Lina Liu

    (Department of Management, Taiyuan Normal University, Jinzhong 030619, China)

  • Chenxi Li

    (School of Public Administration, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China)

  • Xin Zhang

    (Shanghai Institute of Tourism, Shanghai 201418, China)

Abstract

Cultural heritage tourism (CHT) has become an important part of the tourism industry. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate the sustainability of CHT destinations for tourism development. The majority of existing studies have examined the destination sustainability of ecotourism with the considerations of three stakeholder groups, namely, resource administration, tourist, and local community. However, the impact of tourism enterprises on destination sustainability has been constantly ignored in CHT-related studies. To fill these gaps, this study aims at developing an indicator system for comprehensively assessing the sustainability of CHT destinations. Specifically, this study identified an evaluation indicator system based on the Delphi technique and applied it to the context of Pingyao Ancient City in China. Results demonstrated that scores obtained by all four stakeholder groups ranged between 3.0 and 4.0 and the overall sustainability score was only 63.94, indicating that Pingyao was in the “somewhat sustainable” state according to the criteria (0−25, unsustainable; 25−50, somewhat unsustainable; 50−75, somewhat sustainable; 75−100, sustainable) specified in previous studies. A more balanced outcome should be achieved where each stakeholder’s interests are fully considered, but not at the expense of the others. The findings are of great significance for heritage tourism literature and sustainable destination management.

Suggested Citation

  • Lisheng Weng & Bao-Jie He & Lina Liu & Chenxi Li & Xin Zhang, 2019. "Sustainability Assessment of Cultural Heritage Tourism: Case Study of Pingyao Ancient City in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1392-:d:211481
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    4. Arıcı, Tuğba & Eker, Nuray, 2025. "The interaction of Generation Z with intangible cultural heritage through digital platforms and their participation intentions," CACTUS – Journal of Tourism Business, Management and Economics, ASE Publishing House, vol. 7(2), December.
    5. Wei Deng & Xuehan Chen & Lisha Jiang, 2025. "Assessment and Improvement Strategies for Sustainable Development in China’s Cultural and Tourism Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-46, June.
    6. Adam R. Szromek & Mateusz Naramski, 2019. "Measuring Trust in Business Relations between Tourist Facilities on One Thematic Touristic Route," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-18, July.
    7. Lisheng Weng & Lingzhi Tan & Yifeng Yu, 2023. "The Effects of Perceived Cultural and Tourism Public Services on Visitor Satisfaction and Quality of Life: A Multiple Mediation Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, November.
    8. Noussaiba Rharbi & Antonio García Martínez & Abdelghani El Asli & Safae Oulmouden & Hicham Mastouri, 2025. "A Framework for Building Sustainability Assessment for Developing Countries Using F-Delphi: Moroccan Housing Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-24, October.
    9. Rafael Almeida de Oliveira & Silvia De Ascaniis & Renata Maria Abrantes Baracho & Hebert Canela Salgado & Lorenzo Cantoni, 2023. "A Proposal to Categorize Cultural Sustainability Elements for the Management of World Cultural Heritage Sites," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 16(1), pages 9-22.
    10. Byron W. Keating, 2022. "CSR Commitment, Alignment and Firm Performance: The Case of the Australia-China Tourism Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, October.
    11. Recep Murat Geçikli & Orhan Turan & Lenka Lachytová & Erkan Dağlı & Murad Alpaslan Kasalak & Sinem Burcu Uğur & Yigit Guven, 2024. "Cultural Heritage Tourism and Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-16, July.
    12. Ruxue Shi & Pingtao Yi & Weiwei Li & Qiankun Dong, 2024. "Sustainability evaluation based on the three-stage difference-driven model: a case study of the province, autonomous region, and municipality in Western China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 11881-11911, May.
    13. Na Xu & Yanpu Zhao, 2023. "A Moderated Mediation Analysis of the Relationship between Cultural Embeddedness of Regional Brand Products and Behavior Loyalty: A Case Study of Wudang Mountains in Hubei Province of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Pan Jiang & Long Shao & Christopher Baas, 2019. "Interpretation of Value Advantage and Sustainable Tourism Development for Railway Heritage in China Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-17, November.

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