Tourists Preferences in Visiting Heritage Sites in China

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Tourists Preferences in Visiting Heritage Sites in China

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Tourism is a way of recreation, which involves a person’s travel to another city, country, and even to another continent. Travel is different, and any connoisseur can choose a vacation to their liking: active, educational, wellness, religious, beach, or rural. Tourism helps people escape from everyday problems, learn something new, and get an unforgettable aesthetic satisfaction. Also, such a vacation helps not only to learn the cultures of other countries and peoples but also contributes to the personal development of any traveller. In general, it allows people to combine relaxation with learning new things. However, different tourists have different preferences, so their motivation to visit specific cities, countries, or regions are also different. This study aims to provide tourists in China with an up to date and specific typology based on centricity and experience. Besides, the motive behind the work presented in this paper is to identify the different types of tourists in China, analyse their preferences, and as a result, create their holistic profile. Several studies from China already have information on the factors that influence this typology. In general, they include characteristics of travel (for example, on-site activities, prior knowledge) and some sociodemographic characteristics. This study shows that, in practice, there are small differences in preferences between local day trippers and those travelling for several days from remote regions of China.

Cultural Studies

Art History

tourism

Chinese cultural tourists

tourist preferences

China

heritage sites

GTPs

Tourists Preferences in Visiting Heritage Sites in China

Today, the furtherance of international tourism is one of the global and phenomenal economic processes. This development of the tourism industry depends on many factors. For example, they include both an increase in the income of the population, the development of infrastructure, and a greater openness of regions due to globalisation processes. Tourism dates back to time immemorial and has existed for many centuries when people crossed different territories. Today people mostly travel with a specific purpose. It can be a business trip, a recreational trip, a health-improving, educational, gastronomic, or another. Therefore, tourism began to play an essential role in the life of modern society. It has grown into a separate large-scale industry that gives people tremendous opportunities. Also, tourism resources have become an essential part of the national wealth of many countries. In some countries, the tourism industry is the backbone of the economy. It subsidizes to an increase in the gross domestic product (GDP), a decrease in unemployment, and an increase in investment. Besides, tourism supports the furtherance of infrastructure, transport, and construction industries. The tourism industry is a catalyst for change in the economic industry. Countries, cities, and regions begin to develop at the expense of tourists, creating comfort and convenience.

Today, the countries of East Asia and the Pacific, particularly China, are especially rapidly gaining momentum in the international tourism industry. Back in the 1980s, tourism had a large part in the development of China’s economy. This boom in tourists was mainly due to the proliferation in the number of the wealthy middle class in the world and the removal of all restrictions on visiting the country. As a result, China has become one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.According to the China Tourism Academy, the country’s tourism industry proceeds to grow rapidly in 2019, with domestic trips increasing by 8.4 percent and exceeded 6 billion yuan (Huaxia, 2020). Overall, the country’s total tourism revenues were 6.63 trillion yuan in 2019. This figure is 11% higher than in 2018. Besides, the tourism industry contributes significantly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Thus, the tourism industry accounts for more than 11% of the country’s total GDP. Significantly, this industry also stimulates employment in China as it provides more than 10% of the country’s total population with jobs (Huaxia, 2020).

China is considered one of the oldest civilisations worldwide since its history began more than five thousand years ago. Now, the country is very economically, socially, and industrially developed. Nevertheless, it has retained its historical and cultural monuments, which attract tourists from all over the world. Interestingly, China itself is divided into different regions, which differ in many characteristics and subsequently create an atmosphere of the diversity of cultures, languages, and religions. Now in the country, besides cultural heritage sites, many modern recreational centres, amusement parks, casinos have been created, which are becoming vital for the advancement of the tourism industry in China. Besides, China has a very distinctive and diverse nature. As a result, natural monuments become cultural and historical sites, most of which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Tang et al., 2011). Today, tourism in China has changed significantly. It has become even more exciting and interesting, as evidenced by the statistical facts about the number of foreign and local tourists. The tourism industry’s role in the national economy and social development will steadily increase, improving the national image, contributing to the development of international cooperation.

2.1 Tourists’ Preferences in Chinese Tourism

Tourist preferences regarding the visit to China can be segmented into different groups. In Table 1, all studies regarding typology and segmentation are grouped into two classes using two main types of segmentation variables. In the first group, those studies were selected that use only the segmentation component. It may include preliminary information or some knowledge about the place that tourists will visit (such information can be displayed in the Institutional Commerce Organization for Organic Organisations) or even trip motivation (ICOMOS and WTO, 1993; Stebbins, 1996; Nyaupane and al., 2006; Richards, 1996; Silberberberg, 1995). The second group includes only those articles that have several segmentation variables. Among all these works, McKercher (2002) study should be noted, which developed a particular typology and segmented research into two fundamental dimensions. They include the tourist experience and its depth, and the motivation in the process of deciding to visit a particular cultural heritage site

2.2. Heterogeneity of Preferences for GPTs and Consumption Values

Goodall (1991) believes that personal preferences (that is, those that reflect individual preferences), as well as foreign (in other words, social) preferences, are the primary objective source that serves for the client’s choice. Therefore, unknown and discovered differences are the main factor in determining the diversity of options for specific individuals. Scientists believe that values are the leading accelerator of consumer behaviour. Therefore, they are actively studied in marketing to analyse consumer behaviour. However, Kostelijk (2017) believes that this concept is seldom misused or insufficiently imagined by people. Researchers Sheth, Newman, and Gross (1991) have created a unique metatheoretical consumer value framework for treating specific individual shoppers’ behaviour. They identified five specific dimensions that have a direct impact on the perceived value of preferences. In general, they include psychological, practical, epistemological, cognitive, and conditional values. People may be faced with the choice of whether to buy a specific product or not. Besides, they can analyse whether they should prefer a particular brand or give preference to another. This analysis occurs regardless of which option is considered in the five dimensions of value. Other scientists, Sánchez-Fernández and Iniesta-Bonillo (2007) consider such a system a substantial theoretical basis for further research. It is proven and generally accepted because it helps predict and explain consumer behaviour.

In general, Sánchez et al. (2006) note that the concept of five-dimensional market value has been changed in various ways. These changes included tourism industry. As a result, specific scales have been created that help to measure the production values being investigated. Research shows that scientists have already tested various value dimensions to demonstrate customer preferences for specific products, analysing them for ‘value for money.’ However, in practice, little is known about how these factors and parameters can be associated with a specific buyer’s choice in a specific situation.

Overby and Woodruff (2005) argue that different societies have different historical consumer values. X. Li et al. (2011) note that all travellers are very different from each other. The reason for this is many factors, including different resources, beliefs, behaviours, interests, and decision-making processes. Wong and Kwong (2004) believe that these differences depend on the particular values that travel bring to tourists. Several studies show that preference for GPTs is not only a group interest shaped by group cohesion and orientation, but also a tendency to avoid risks and uncertainty (Hsu and Huang, 2016; T. Jin, Lin, and Hung, 2014). Cai, Li, and Knutson (2008) believe that many Chinese travellers have a tradition of giving gifts, so they are very passionate about souvenir shopping. As the results of various empirical studies show, tourists’ decision and wish to visit specific cultural heritage sites may be associated with different values of people from different regions of China (Lee et al., 2012). Other researchers, M. Li and Cai (2012), believe that values, intercorrelated with a specific region, are the most crucial motive that stimulates and encourages travellers to visit specific places. However, X. Jin and Wang (2015) believe this statement is not accurate enough, since the influence of values on travellers’ preferences in deciding on a trip is underestimated. Some scholars have even researched Chinese or Taiwanese behaviour and examined what criteria they set for choosing GPTs (Lee et al., 2012; K. C. Wang et al., 2007). They found that the communities from these regions have many differences from communities who live in mainland China. They are manifested in differences in culture and philosophy.

2.3 Tourist Preferences and Group Package Tours (GPTs)

Research analysis shows that most travellers prefer community package tours (GPT) as they have many advantages over other types of tours. Some researchers note that benefits include good value for money, convenience and comfort, safety, and well-being of tourists (Enoch, 1996). Such benefits are not always possible to obtain an individual trip. Pearce et al. (2013) believe that group travel with an experienced guide also helps tourists build connections and community relations and encourages better learning about cultural heritage.

Gui, Kim, and Timothy (2007) write that GPTs offers tourists the most intense travel experiences. That is, tourists can visit many destinations within a limited time frame. As a result, such trips are more attractive as tourists get the maximum benefit for an affordable price. Wang et al. (2002) believe that in most countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, GPTs is the primary and most popular outbound travel option. At the same time, researchers note that guides play an essential role in such tours. Their presentation of specific cultural heritage sites can make the tour tremendous or ruin it. For example, Chen et al. (2011) write in their research that ‘zero-fare’ tours are top-rated in China. In other words, these are the same package tours, only of inferior quality. Travelers who buy such tours do not always count on good quality, and excursions are interesting. However, sometimes such tours are so terrible that they spoil the impression of cultural heritage sites entirely.

Jin et al. (2013) decided to analyse Chinese Generations Y’s preferences regarding GPT selection. Researchers have identified six main factors that can influence travel decisions. These include the presence of a group leader (local guide), the possibility of additional tours and shopping, security, living conditions, cleanliness, comfort, and time allocated for shopping and self-sightseeing. Research has shown that having an engaging local guide is a crucial factor in choosing a particular GPT. During their travels, most of the respondents want to enjoy the exotic culture and broaden their horizons, which is possible only if there is an excellent local guide who can tell about all the exciting and secret places of a particular city or region. Importantly, Yin and Poon (2016) believe that other group members significantly impact the overall GPT experience. Thus, we analysed the travel experiences of 253 tourists in China within the same GPT. As a result, they noted that the level of fulfilment from travel relies not so much on the cultural heritage sites they visit, but on other factors associated with group members. These include their appearance, behaviour, and language. This research is of great value to travel companies in China as it helps them understand how to improve travel and increase the popularity of GPTs.

Chen et al. (2018) performed a large-scale study in which they evaluated heterogeneous preferences for GPTs of 270 mainland Chinese tourists. As a result, they identified eight main attributes that influence the decision to choose one GPT over another. They include the number of destinations, free time, availability of designated shops, availability of optional activities, meals included, attractions, flight (with the transfer or direct one), and the tour price. Most tourists who are on a low budget consider prices an undesirable attribute. They preferred to choose tours that not only have a low price but also provide a direct flight and exclude visits to designated shops (Chen et al., 2018). Fewer ‘poor’ respondents believed that the higher the tour price, the more attractions they can visit. The authors point out that this heterogeneity between their preferences is associated with their different socio-economic status and consumer values. Most of the respondents who had low incomes decided to choose more expensive tours because they believe that travelling abroad allows them to demonstrate a higher social status and is a manifestation of prestige (Chen et al., 2018). Therefore, Chinese travellers’ motives to visit some cultural heritage sites may depend on the desire to show themselves better than others.

Travelers with medium budget prefer tours that include not only direct flights and do not include visits to designated shops, but also those that provide travellers with the opportunity to enjoy free time and local food (Chen et al., 2018). Researchers argue that the most crucial motive for travel for this group of tourists is not to show themselves better, among others, but to get a tourist experience. They, more than others, strive to explore and experience the authentic culture of cultural heritage sites. Besides, although they are travelling with a group, they need to have free time to spend on their favourite activities. Still, Chen et al. (2018) believe that women occupy a special place among medium-budget travellers since their travel preferences differ. The former considers the tour expense to be an indicator of its quality. Besides, they attach great significance to visiting designated shops, an indicator of prestige and higher social status.

High-budget travellers are not such sensitive to prices as above-mentioned groups. However, they choose in favour of the tour that has the best price-performance ratio. These tourists prefer to buy GPTs with direct flights. Surprisingly, they also require fewer designated shops as they prefer a comfortable and relaxing stay. Nevertheless, in general, regardless of the budget, all three groups of respondents indicated that they want to choose a GPT that provides for a direct flight and fewer designated shops because of the busy and fast-paced life of Chinese. Besides, the forced advertising of various branded stores during the tour causes disgust and a total antipathy among the Chinese for shopping. Therefore, most travellers from China, regardless of the budget, prefer to choose those tours that are more comfortable and provide for free time on the route to explore cultural heritage sites on their own.

As noted, the factors that influence decisions about choosing one GPT over another tour are still uncertain. Still, some researchers note that most tourists who choose GPTs on the ‘all-inclusive’ systems have many additional amenities. Their tour price includes accommodation, meals, ground transportation, and self-recreation. Therefore, Mühlbacher and Botschen (1988) believe that GPT is more than a simple destination route since it can be built, taking into account the tourist’s desires. Such a tour’s various attributes make the decision-making process very difficult due to the cost-benefit-related factor (Loban 1997). Scientists have done very little research into the GPT attributes and characteristics that attract potential tourists to buy a particular GPT.

Heritage sites are classified as cultural and natural by the UNESCO (2018). Heritage sites in China are listed as in Table 2. Some particular sites are mixed sites. In 1992, UNESCO agreed that spots displaying people’s connection with their environment could also be cultural landscapes.

2.4. Tourism Market in China

Although the development of tourism in China began not so long ago, during this time, this country has achieved considerable success. For example, it has become the leading tourism market for all of Asia. Moreover, China has become a permanent and one of the most active members of the Pacific Association for Asian Travel (PATA). In general, the country has the most massive increase in foreign tourists over the past decade. This growth is expected to positively affect the tourism market throughout Asia for the next few years. Overall, China is the fourth-largest tourist destination worldwide (see Table 2; Fig. 2).

Much of the development of tourism was due to the thriving market reforms that took place in China. They included improving the activities of advocacy organisations, as well as the media and other areas. Such a rapidly growing climate within the country has contributed to the development of its tourism. At the same time, China is not only the right place for external investment. The country attracts many foreign people in business because they can combine their business trips with leisure.

3.1 Questionnaire Design

A quantitative approach was used to conduct research and get answers to research questions. Previous studies, mentioned in the literature review section, show that this method is the most accurate and useful for a typology of tourism. In particular, a questionnaire survey was used for analysis.

3.2 Data Collection

To collect the data, The World Tourism Alliance Office (WTA) conducted the field survey. This organisation analysed the characteristics of China’s inbound tourism in 2018. All data collected by WTA relates to any attractions visited by tourists in China. For a better and more efficient analysis, all the information collected was divided into four categories: gender, age of tourists, the purpose of travel, and destination. The analysis will be carried out for all foreign tourists. According to the data published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Popular Republic of China, the number of tourists in the country is 141.2 million.

3.3 Data Analysis

Descriptive analysis was used in the data analysis process. In general, tourists’ motives to visit specific cultural heritage sites were divided into two main subgroups. The first one included those who analysed the importance of motivation to study history/culture/arts in the form in which it is presented in these cultural heritage sites. The second one highlighted those who analysed the importance of gaining any additional knowledge of history/culture/arts when deciding to see a particular cultural heritage site. The assessment of the depth of tourists’ experience to call upon specific cultural heritage sites in China was conducted by analysing specific factors and the degree of understanding of history/culture/arts presented in a specific cultural heritage site in China.

First, the researchers analysed the age structure of the respondents. They found that the largest number of tourists (49.9%) were aged 25–44 years, the second-largest group (28.4%) were tourists aged 45–64 years. The smallest number of tourists were under the age of 14 and over 65 years (3.4% and 4.6%, respectively).

The primary purpose of travel for most of the respondents was another reason (35.3%) or tourism and leisure (33.5%). Only 2.8% of visitors came to the country in order to visit relatives and friends. 12.8% chose to visit China for conference business.

In addition, the respondents identified several of the most popular tourist attractions and cultural heritage sites in China. They include The Palace Museum, Shanghai Bund, Tian’nmen Square, Summer Palace, and Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses (see Table 4).

According to the 2018 Online Travel Agent (OTA) review, Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall, Shanghai Bund, and Beijing Summer Palace are the most popular tourist attractions. Badaling Great Wall is the more commonly used word for Chinese national pride. However, recently, Online Travel Agent (OTA) and other agencies, including those located abroad, have decided to promote Mutianyu Great Wall in Beijing. This cultural heritage site stood out among others due to the relatively low price of the tour and the small number of tourists. As a result, such marketing has led to an increase of the tourists’ flow and popularity of this cultural heritage site.

Thus, this study had three main objectives. The first one was to provide a simple, accurate, and straightforward typology of tourists in China for various factors. The second one was to create a detailed travel profile by analysing the different characteristics of individual travellers. The third one was to contrast motives and desires of non-tourists with local day trippers. Many peer-reviewed sources were analysed during the research. They include studies by McKercher (2002), McKercher & Du Cros (2003), Nhuyen & Cheung (2014), and others. These studies helped to highlight the typology of tourists. Overall, the most popular and prevalent typology was where all tourists were divided into casual, sightseeing, purposeful, serendipitous, and incidental ones. Taking into account the market size, casual tourists are considered to be dominant among them. Furthermore, for the study, not only the tourists’ characteristics were used, but also the reasons and motives for travel and sociodemographic factors. Analysis of all previous peer-reviewed studies and results of this paper have shown that tourists are not distributed in a balanced manner as it was noted in the typology proposed by McKercher’s (2002).

This research is of great value because it has in-depth knowledge of tourism market of China. Besides, it contains a table with a detailed typology of tourists and their preferences. This data can be used to enhance the quality of tourist industry in China and increase the popularity of some little-known cultural heritage sites. All those working in tourism and cultural environment should take concrete steps to raise awareness among tourists about specific attractions. Visitors should have a unique experience and learn more about culture and history while visiting specific cultural heritage sites. Some of them can be even specifically designed and improved. It will help make complex cultural and historical information more accessible and more understandable for any tourist. As a result, visiting cultural heritage places will form a more profound experience for them. For example, tourism and cultural professionals may consider applying inventive, creative, or innovative approaches to displaying cultural heritage sites. They can create impressive halls or cultural heritage attractions dedicated to specific historical era or place. The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall with Cantonese traditional arts is an excellent example of this practice. Besides, they can use new technologies, including multimedia or even augmented reality, to display events of a particular historical era related to a specific cultural heritage site or attraction.

I, the undersigned, solemnly declare that the project report < Tourists Preferences in Visiting Heritage Sites in China > is based on my own work. I assert that the statements made and conclusions are drawn as an outcome of my research work. I further certify that the work contained in the report is original and has been done by me under my supervisor's general supervision. I also confirm that the work has not been submitted to any Journal.

Availability of data and material

The Data is available; it can be shared whenever needed

Competing interests

It is to expressly state that “No Competing interests are at stake and there is No Conflict of Interest” with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the paper's content.
None of the authors of this paper has a financial or personal relationship with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias the paper's content.

Authors' contributions

All the authors had contributed equally to this work.
Whenever we have used materials (data, theoretical analysis, and text) from other sources, we have given due credit to them in the text of the report and giving their details in the references.

Funding

The National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China supported this work: Research on Cultural Heritage Conservation and the Activation of South China Historical Trail (NO:19FSHB007)

Jebbouri Abdelhamid

Acknowledgment: The National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China supported this work: Research on Cultural Heritage Conservation and the Activation of South China Historical Trail (NO:19FSHB007)

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Table 1. Studies, Associated to Tourist Segmentations

Author(s) (year)	Research objective(s)	Research method(s)	Segmentation variable(s)	Types of tourists
Ashworth and Tunbridge (1990)	To segment tourists depending on historic city	N. A.	Desire to visit a specific historic city	Incidental and intentional tourists
ICOMOS (1993)	To segment tourists with interpretation and education purposes	N. A.	Specific existing knowledge, prior experience and information that tourists seek for education.	Students, scholars, and reluctant visitors
Prentice (1993)	To segment tourists depending on heritage attractions	N. A.	Sociodemographic factors	Schoolchildren, nostalgia seekers, families or other social groups, educated visitors, and professionals
Sailberberg (1995)	To segment tourists depending on museums and heritage sites	N. A.	Motivation to visit specific heritage attractions and do cultural tourism	Greatly and partly motivated tourists, adjunct and accidental visitors
Richards (1996)	To understand the specifics of production and consumption of European cultural heritage and tourism	Survey data received from European Cultural Tourism Project	Motivation and the desire to visit specific place of the cultural heritage	General and specific cultural tourists
Stebbins (1996)	To categorise and distinguish hobbyist cultural tourists	N. A.	Availability of general or profound knowledge about specific cultural place	Generalised and specialised cultural tourists
Timothy (1997)	To understand and analyse specific heritage tourism experiences	N. A.	Different levels of heritage tourism experiences	Private, national, local, and worldwide heritage tourism experience
Shifflet & Associates (1999)	To study the preferences of Pennsylvania heritage tourists	N. A.	The significance of heritage tourism in their tourist route	Low, moderate and core heritage tourist
Poria, Butler, & Airey (2001)	To clarify the concept of heritage tourism	N. A.	Travelers’s personal opinions and perspectives on specific heritage sites	A place can be considered as the heritage site (unconnected), not categorised as the heritage site (their own heritage), or classified as a heritage place (unaware)
Hughes (2002)	To set up a specific framework for further analysis of tourism and culture	Existing studies and knowledge about tourism and culture	N. A.	N. A.
McKercher (2002)	To create a general typology of cultural tourists	Questionnaire survey (n = 675, tourists, mainly mainland Chinese ones, who have visited cultural heritage attractions and sites in Hong Kong)	The importance of cultural tourism in the process of making decision to visit Hong Kong	Purposeful, sightseeing, casual, serendipitous, and incidental cultural tourists
McKercher et al. (2002)	To conduct activities-based segmentation of the specific cultural tourism market	Questionnaire survey (n=760, tourists, who have visited cultural heritage attractions and sites in Hong Kong)	Cultural tourism activities that visitors have engaged in Hong Kong	Colonial culturalists, sino-colonial culturalists, Tsim Sha Tsui nodal culturalists, Chinese heritage culturalists, Icon culturalists, Cultural generalists
McKercher & Du Cros (2003)	To analyse and test the typology of cultural tourists developed by McKercher (2002)	Questionnaire survey (n=760, tourists, who have visited cultural heritage attractions and sites in Hong Kong)	The importance of cultural tourism in the process of making decision to visit Hong Kong and depth of cultural experience and knowledge of visitors	Purposeful, sightseeing, casual, serendipitous, and incidental cultural tourists
Espelt & Benito (2006)	To analyse and understand the behaviour of visitors in a cultural heritage city in Girona, Spain	Questionnaire survey (n=532) and direct observations of travellers’ behaviour	Different behavioural factors of travellers, who visit the Old Quarter of Girona, Spain (for example, number of visited nodes, number of accessible nodes, a total time of the visit of the specific cultural heritage place, length of the itinerary, number of edges walked)	Non-cultural, ritual, interested, and erudite tourists
McKercher et al. (2006)	To analyse the value and attractiveness of short-term cultural festivals, held in Hong Kong, as tourist attractions	Questionnaire survey (n=314, mainly tourists, who have visited three cultural festivals in Hong Kong)	The importance of cultural tourism in the process of making decision to visit Hong Kong and depth of cultural experience and knowledge of visitors	Purposeful, sightseeing, casual, serendipitous, and incidental cultural tourists
Nyaupane et al. (2006)	To differentiate and segment cultural heritage tourists in the United States	Questionnaire survey (n=307, tourists, who have visited three native cultural heritage sites and attractions in Arizona, USA).	Desire and motive to learn cultural history	Culture-focused, culture-attentive, and culture-appreciative tourists
Biran, Poria, & Oren (2011)	To understand the motives and experience of travellers, who visit dark heritage sites (for example, Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp)	Three-stage study: first (exploratory) stage – semi-structured interviews (n=30), second stage-structured questionnaire survey (n= 25), third stage – questionnaire survey (n = 198)	Desire to visit a specific dark heritage site and visitors’ perceptions	First group: do not perceive the site as a part of their personal heritage; second group: are ambivalent in their perception of the dark heritage site as a part of their personal heritage; third group: perceive the dark heritage site as a part of their personal heritage.
Stylianou-Lambert (2011)	To explain specific differences between different cultural visitors in different art museums	Interviews (n=60, participants are from Cyprus, Greece)	Museum Perceptual Filters (MPFs)	Professional, art-loving, self-exploration, cultural tourism, and social visit visitors
Nguyen & Cheung (2014)	To distinguish and classify heritage tourists in Hue City, Vietnam	Questionnaire survey (n=307, mainly tourists, who have visited cultural heritage sites in Hue City, Vietnam)	The importance of cultural tourism in the process of making decision to visit Hue City in Vietnam and depth of cultural experience and knowledge of visitors.	Purposeful, sightseeing, casual, serendipitous, and incidental cultural tourists
Pietro et al. (2015)	To segment people who have chosen to visit museums	Online questionnaire survey (n=555)	Different factors that have an impact on the decision to visit a museum (for example, ticket price, tourist guide, opening time of the museum, path organisation).	The connoisseurs (experts), the demanding tourists, the practical tourists, and the inattentive tourists
Yankholmes & McKercher (2015)	To understand motives of the visitors who travel to slavery heritage sites in Ghana	Questionnaire survey (n=550, mainly tourists, who have visited slavery heritage sites in Ghana)	Visitors’ connection to slavery and the purpose of their trip to slavery heritage sites	Connected slavery heritage tourists, not connected bicultural tourists, connected vacationers, and not connected Caucasian tourists
Vong (2016)	To assess the cultural tourist segmentation and typologies in an urban gaming destination (in Macau)	Questionnaire survey (n=500, mainly tourists, who have visited Macau)	Purpose of the trip and time spent while visiting cultural heritage places and museums in Macau	Purposeful, sightseeing, casual, serendipitous, and incidental cultural tourists

*Note: Reprinted from “Understanding Chinese cultural tourists: typology and profile”, by Chen, G., 2017 Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, p. 3-6.

Table 2. China’s World Heritage List.

Site	Year	Type	Province
The Great Wall	1987	Cultural	Beijing
Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Forbidden City)	1987	Cultural	Beijing
Mogao Caves	1987	Cultural	Dunhuang
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor	1987	Cultural	Xi’an
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian	1987	Cultural	Beijing
Mount Taishan	1987	Mixed	Taian
Mount Huangshan	1990	Mixed	Huangshan
Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area	1992	Natural	Zhangjiajie
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area	1992	Natural	Nanping County
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area	1992	Natural	Aba Municipality
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde	1994	Cultural	Chengde
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion	1994	Cultural	Qufu
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains	1994	Cultural	Danjiangkou
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa	1994, 2000, 2001	Cultural	Lhasa
Lushan National Park	1996	Cultural	Jiujiang
Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area	1996	Mixed	Emeishan
Classical Gardens of Suzhou	1997, 2000	Cultural	Suzhou
Ancient City of Ping Yao	1997	Cultural	Taiyuan
Town of Lijiang	1997	Cultural	Lijiang
Temple of Heaven	1998	Cultural	Beijing
Summer Palace	1998	Cultural	Beijing
Dazu Rock Carvings	1999	Cultural	Dazu County
Mount Wuyi	1999	Mixed	Nanping
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties	2000	Cultural	Zunhua and Zhongxiang
Longmen Grottoes	2000	Cultural	Luoyang
Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System	2000	Cultural	Dujiangyan
Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun	2000	Cultural	Yi County
Yungang Grottoes	2001	Cultural	Datong
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas	2003	Natural	Yunnan
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom	2004	Cultural	Ji’an, Jilin
Historic Centre of Macau	2005	Cultural	Yinxu
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries	2006	Natural	Sichuan
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages	2007	Cultural	Kaiping, Guangdong
South China Karst	2007, 2014	Natural	Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Guangxi
Fujian Tulou	2008	Cultural	Fujian
Sanqingshan	2008	Natural	Yushan County, Jiangxi
Mount Wutai	2009	Cultural	Wutai County, Shanxi
Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in ‘The Centre of Heaven and Earth’	2010	Cultural	Dengfeng, Henan
China Danxia	2010	Natural	Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guizhou
West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou	2011	Cultural	Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Site of Xanadu	2012	Cultural	Zhenglan Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia
Chengjiang Fossil Site	2012	Natural	Chengjiang County, Yunnan
Xinjiang Tianshan	2013	Natural	Xinjiang
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces	2013	Cultural	Yuanyang County, Yunnan
Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor	2014	Cultural	Luoyang, Lingbao of Henan; Xi’an, Bin County and Chenggu of Shaanxi; Tianshui, Yongjing, Dunhuang and Anxi of Gansu; Turpan, Jimsar and Kuqa of Xinjiang
Grand Canal	2014	Cultural	Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan
Tusi Sites	2015	Cultural	Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou
Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape	2016	Cultural	Guangxi
Hubei Shennongjia	2016	Natural	Hubei
Qinghai Hoh Xil	2017	Natural	Qinghai
Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement	2017	Cultural	Xiamen, Fujian
Fanjingshan	2018	Natural	Tongeren, Guizhou
Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City	2019	Cultural	Hangzhou and Deqing County, Zhejiang
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I)	2019	Natural	Yancheng, Jiangsu

Table 3. World’s Top Ten Tourist Destinations (2018) (World Tourism Organization (WTO) (2018))

Rank	Country	World Tourist Arrivals (millions)	Growth (%)
1	France	89.3	2.9
2	Spain	82.7	1.1
3	United States	79.7	3.5
4	China	62.9	3.6
5	Italy	61.5	6.7
6	Turkey	45.7	21.7
7	Mexico	41.3	5.5
8	Germany	38.8	3.6
9	Thailand	38.1	7.8
10	United Kingdom	18.9	- 3.5

Table 4. The Top Five Attractions Based on Province

No.	Attractions	Province
1	The Palace Museum	Beijing
2	The Band	Shanghai
3	Tian’nmen Square	Beijing
4	The Summer Palace	Beijing
5	Museum of Terracotta	Shaanxi

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Tourists Preferences in Visiting Heritage Sites in China

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