Does Designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Influence Tourist Evaluation of a Local Destination?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore whether the UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) designation affects tourists’ evaluation of the local destination hosting the site, building on a large sample of about 0.8 million tourists who visited Italy over the period 1997–2015. We find that the inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List exerts surprisingly a negative effect on the overall evaluation of the destination and also on the evaluation of its artistic assets though the magnitude of the latter is lower. The effect is heterogeneous across visitors, depending on evaluation levels, as well as origin/destinations and demographics. Nonetheless, the presence of multiple WHSs in the same destination tends to increase evaluation, suggesting that destination stakeholders with previous experience in dealing with WHS designations are better equipped to manage the complicated relationship between tourism and preservation. Managerial and policy-making implications are discussed.

Keywords

UNESCO World Heritage tourist perceptions evaluation cultural heritage site destination marketing longitudinal study Cumulative Logit

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Airey

Shakley

1998. “The Former Capital and National Shrine.” In Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Heritage Sites, edited by Shakley

, 46–65. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Alegre

Cladera

2006. “Repeat Visitation in Mature Sun and Sand Holiday Destinations.” Journal of Travel Research 44 (3): 288–97.

d’Angella

F. M.

2009. “Tale of Two Cities’ Collaborative Marketing: Towards a Theory of Destination Stakeholder Assessment.” Tourism Management 30: 429–40.

Antón

Camarero

Laguna-García

2017. “Towards a New Approach of Destination Loyalty Drivers: Satisfaction, Visit Intensity and Tourist Motivations.” Current Issues in Tourism 20 (3): 238–60.

Beeton

2003. “Swimming against the Tide—Integrating Marketing with Environmental Management via Demarketing.” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 10 (2): 95–107.

Beeton

Benfield

2002. “Demand Control: The Case for Demarketing as a Visitor and Environmental Management Tool.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 10 (6): 497–513.

Buckley

2004. “The Effects of World Heritage Listing on Tourism to Australian National Parks.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 12 (1): 70–84.

Buckley

2018. “Tourism and Natural World Heritage: A Complicated Relationship.” Journal of Travel Research 57 (5): 563–78.

Bui

H. T.

T.-A.

2016. “Tourist Satisfaction and Destination Image of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay.” Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research 21 (7): 795–810.

10.

Cellini

2011. “Is UNECO Designation Effective in Fostering Tourism? A Comment on Yang, Lin and Han.” Tourism Management 32:452–54.

11.

Clements

M. A.

1989. “Selecting Tourist Traffic by Demarketing.” Tourism Management 10 (2): 89–94.

12.

Crouch

G. I.

2011. “Destination Competitiveness: An Analysis of Determinant Attributes.” Journal of Travel Research 50 (1): 27–45.

13.

Farquhar

J. D.

Robson

2017. “Selective Demarketing: When Customers Destroy Value.” Marketing Theory 17 (2): 165–82.

14.

Ferri

Zan

2014. “Ten Years After: The Rise and Fall of Managerial Autonomy in Pompeii.” Critical Perspectives on Accounting 25:368–87.

15.

Formica

Uysal

2006. “Destination Attractiveness Based on Supply and Demand Evaluations: An Analytical Framework.” Journal of Travel Research 44 (4): 418–30.

16.

Frey

B. S.

Steiner

2013. “World Heritage List.” In Handbook on the Economics of Cultural Heritage, edited by Izzo

Mignosa

, 171–86. Cheltenham, UK: Elgar.

17.

Getz

1983. “Capacity to Absorb Tourism: Concepts and Implications for Strategic Planning.” Annals of Tourism Research 10 (2): 239–63.

18.

GFK. 2009. “2008 Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands IndexSM Report Highlights.” http://www.gtai.de/GTAI/Content/CN/Invest/_SharedDocs/Downloads/Studies/diw-wochenbericht-9-2010.pdf (accessed September 16, 2018).

19.

Gilmore

Carson

Ascençao

2007. “Sustainable Tourism Marketing at a World Heritage Site.” Journal of Strategic Marketing 15 (2/3): 253–64.

20.

Giuffrida

2017. “Florence Mayor Aims to Keep Picnicking Tourists at Bay with Hosepipes.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/31/florence-mayor-dario-nardella-hosepipes-basilica-santa-croce (accessed June 3, 2017).

21.

Gnudi

2013. “Una strategia unica per il turismo.” IlSole24Ore, 19 gennaio 2013. http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/commenti-e-idee/2013-01-19/strategia-unica-turismo-093612.shtml?uuid=AbD3vrLHandrefresh_ce=1 (accessed June 3, 2017).

22.

Greenacre

M. J.

1984. Theory and Applications of Correspondence Analysis. London: Academic Press.

23.

Hall

C. M.

Piggin

2001. “Tourism and World Heritage in OECD Countries.” Tourism Recreation Research 26 (1): 103–5.

24.

Huh

Uysal

2004. “Satisfaction with Cultural/Heritage Sites: Virginia Historic Triangle.” Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism 4 (3/4): 177–94.

25.

Huang

C. H.

Tsaur

J. R.

Yang

C.-H.

2012. “Does World Heritage List Really Induce More Tourists? Evidence from Macau.” Tourism Management 33 (6): 1450–7.

26.

Jarvis

Stoeckl

Liu

H. B.

2016. “The Impact of Economic, Social and Environmental Factors on Trip Satisfaction and the Likelihood of Visitors Returning.” Tourism Management 52:1–18.

27.

Jick

T. D.

1979. “Mixing Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Triangulation in Action.” Administrative Science Quarterly 24:602–11.

28.

Kausar

D. R.

2012. “Sustainability in the Management of World Cultural Heritage.” In Visions for Global Tourism Industry—Creating and Sustaining Competitive Strategies, edited by Kasimoglu

, Rijeka: InTech.

29.

Kennell

2016. “Carrying Capacity.” In Encyclopedia of Tourism, 133–35. Cham: Springer International.

30.

Kim

S. S.

Wong

K. K. F.

Cho

2006. “Assessing the Economic Value of a World Heritage Site and Willingness-to-Pay Determinants: A Case of Changdeok Palace.” Tourism Management 28:317–22.

31.

King

L. M.

Halpenny

E. A.

2014. “Communicating the World Heritage Brand: Visitor Awareness of UNESCO’s World Heritage Symbol and the Implications for Sites, Stakeholders and Sustainable Management.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 22:768–86.

32.

Kotler

Levy

S. J.

1971. “Demarketing, Yes, Demarketing.” Harvard Business Review 49:74–80.

33.

Kylänen

Mariani

M. M.

2014. “Cooperative and coopetitive practices: Cases from the tourism industry.” In Tourism Management, Marketing, and Development: Volume I: The Importance of Networks and ICTs, edited by Mariani

Baggio

Buhalis

Longhi

, pp. 149-178. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. [DOI: 10.1057/9781137354358_9].

34.

Landorf

2009. “Managing for Sustainable Tourism: A Review of Six Cultural World Heritage Sites.” Journal of Sustainable Tourism 17 (1): 53–70.

35.

Lau

McKercher

2006. “Understanding Tourist Movement Patterns in a Destination: A GIS Approach.” Tourism and Hospitality Research 7 (1): 39–49.

36.

Marcotte

Bourdeau

2012. “Is the World Heritage Label Used as a Promotional Argument for Sustainable Tourism?” Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development 2 (1): 80–91.

37.

Mariani

Buhalis

Longhi

Vitouladiti

2014. “Managing Change in Tourism Destinations: Key Issues and Current Trends.” Journal of Destination Marketing & Management 2:269–72.

38.

Mariani

M.M.

2016. “Coordination in inter-network co-opetitition: Evidence from the tourism sector.” Industrial Marketing Management 53: 103-123.

39.

Mariani

M.M

Giorgio

2017. “The “Pink Night” festival revisited: Meta-events and the role of destination partnerships in staging event tourism.” Annals of Tourism Research 62: 89-109.

40.

Mariani

M.M.

2018. “The role of policy makers and regulators in coopetition”. In The Routledge companion to coopetition strategy, edited by Fernandez

A.S.

Chiambaretto

Le Roy

Czakon

, pp. 105-116. London: Routledge.

41.

McKercher

du Cros

2012. Cultural Tourism: The Partnership between Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management. New York: Routledge.

42.

Medway

Warnaby

Dharni

2010. “Demarketing Places: Rationales and Strategies.” Journal of Marketing Management 27 (1/2): 124–42.

43.

Morrison

2013. Marketing and Managing Tourism Destinaitions. New York: Routledge.

44.

Muresan

1998. “The Fortified Church of Biertan.” In Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Heritage Sites, edited by Shakley

, 26–45. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

45.

Ngai

V. T.

2005. “Leisure Satisfaction and Quality of Life in Macao, China.” Leisure Studies 24 (2): 195–207.

46.

Nicolau

J. L.

Mas

F. J.

2006. “The Influence of Distance and prices on the Choice of Tourist Destinations: The Moderating Role of Motivations.” Tourism Management 27 (5): 982–96.

47.

Nuryanti

. 1999. “Introduction: Sustaining Heritage through Cultural Industries.” In Heritage, Tourism, and Local Communities, edited by W. Nuryanti. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Gadjah Mada University Press.

48.

Oppermann

2000. “Tourism Destination Loyalty.” Journal of Travel Research 39 (1): 78–84.

49.

Palau-Saumell

Forgas-Coll

Sánchez-García

Prats-Planagumà

2013. “Tourist Behavior Intentions and the Moderator Effect of Knowledge of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Case of La Sagrada Família.” Journal of Travel Research 52 (3): 364–76.

50.

Paloscia

1994. Storia del turismo nell’economia Italiana. Città di Castello: Pedruzzi.

51.

Pedersen

2002. Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites: A Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers, World Heritage Manuals 1. Paris: UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

52.

Pike

Page

S. J.

2014. “Destination Marketing Organizations and Destination Marketing: A Narrative Analysis of the Literature.” Tourism Management 41:202–27.

53.

Poria

Butler

Airey

2003. “Links between Tourists, Heritage, and Reasons for Visiting Heritage Sites.” Journal of Travel Research 43 (1): 19–28.

54.

Poria

Reichel

Biran

2006. “Heritage Site Perceptions and Motivations to Visit.” Journal of Travel Research 44 (3): 318–26.

55.

Poria

Reichel

Cohen

2011a. “World Heritage Site: An Effective Brand for an Archeological Site?” Journal of Heritage Tourism 6 (3): 197–208.

56.

Poria

Reichel

Cohen

2011b. “World Heritage Site—Is It an Effective Brand Name? A Case Study of a Religious Heritage Site.” Journal of Travel Research 50:482–95.

57.

Poria

Reichel

Cohen

2013. “Tourists’ Perceptions of a World Heritage Site and Its Designation.” Tourism Management 35:272–74.

58.

Radojevic

Stanisic

Stanic

2015. “Solo Travellers Assign Higher Ratings Than Families: Examining Customer Satisfaction by Demographic Group.” Tourism Management Perspectives 16:247–58.

59.

Ribaudo

Figini

2017. “The Puzzle of Tourism Demand at Destinations Hosting UNESCO World Heritage Sites. An Analysis of Tourism Flows for Italy.” Journal of Travel Research 56 (4): 521–42.

60.

Ritchie

B. J. R.

Crouch

G. I.

2000. “The Competitive Destination: A Sustainable Perspective.” Tourism Management 21 (1): 1–7.

61.

Ryan

Silvanto

2014. “A Study of the Key Strategic Drivers of the Use of the World Heritage Site Designation as a Destination Brand.” Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing 31:327–43.

62.

Shackley

1998. Visitor Management: Case Studies from World Heritage Sites. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

63.

Shahrivar

R. B.

2012. “Factors That Influence Tourist Satisfaction.” Journal of Travel and Tourism Research 12 (1): 61–79.

64.

Song

van der Veen

Chen

J. L.

2012. “Hong Kong Tourist Satisfaction Index.” Annals of Tourism Research 39 (1): 459–79.

65.

Hsu

M. K.

Swanson

2017. “The Effect of Tourist Relationship Perception on Destination Loyalty at a World Heritage Site in China: The Mediating Role of Overall Destination Satisfaction and Trust.” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research 41 (2): 180–210.

66.

M. M.

Wall

2016. “A Comparison of Tourists’ and Residents’ Uses of the Temple of Heaven World Heritage Site, China.” Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research 21 (8): 905–30.

67.

M. M.

Wall

2014. “Community Participation in Tourism at a World Heritage Site: Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing, China.” International Journal Tourism Research 16:146–56.

68.

Y.-W.

Lin

H. L.

2014. “Analysis of International Tourist Arrivals Worldwide: The Role of World Heritage Sites.” Tourism Management 40:46–58.

69.

Timothy

D. J.

Boyd

S. W.

2003. Heritage Tourism. Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall.

70.

Trunfio

Petruzzellis

Nigro

2006. “Tour Operators and Alternative Tourism in Italy: Exploiting Niche Markets to Increase International Competitiveness.” International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 18:426–38.

71.

Tsiotsou

Vasioti

2006. “Using Demographics and Leisure Activities to Predict Satisfaction with Tourism Services in Greece.” Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing 14 (2): 69–82.

72.

Tucker

Carnegie

2014. “World heritage and the Contradictions of ‘Universal Value.’” Annals of Tourism Research 47:63–76.

73.

Tunbridge

2007. “From Heritage to Tourism: A Personal Odyssey.” In Approaching Tourism, edited by Wall

, 143–54. Waterloo, Canada: University of Waterloo.

74.

Crompton

1990. “Attitude Determinants in Tourism Destination Choice.” Annals of Tourism Research 17 (3): 432–48.

75.

UNESCO. 2008. World Heritage Information Kit. Paris: UNESCO.

76.

Van Der Borg

. 1992. “Tourism and Urban Development: The Case of Venice, Italy.” Tourism Recreation Research 17 (2): 46–56.

77.

Wager

1995. “Developing a Strategy for the Angkor World Heritage Site.” Tourism Management 16 (7): 515–23.

78.

Watkinson

2004. “World Heritage Branding: Is Marketing a Dirty Word?” In Tourism in Parks: Australian Initiatives, edited by Buckley

R. C.

, 79–90. Gold Coast, Australia: Griffith University.

79.

Yang

C. H.

Lin

H. L.

Han

C. C.

2010. “Analysis of International Tourist Arrivals in China: The Role of World Heritage Sites.” Tourism Management 31 (6): 827–37.

80.

Yang

C. H.

Lin

H. L.

Han

C. C.

2011. “Is UNECO Designation Effective in Fostering Tourism? A Comment on Yang, Lin and Han: Reply.” Tourism Management 32:455–56.

81.

Zan

Baraldi

Lusiani

Shoup

Ferri

Onofri

2016. Managing Cultural Heritage. An International Research Perspective. New York: Routledge.

82.

Zan

Baraldi

Gordon

2007. “Cultural Heritage between Centralisation and Decentralisation.” International Journal of Cultural Policy 13 (1): 49–70.