Does world heritage list really induce more tourists? Evidence from Macau
Chia-Hui Huang1, Jen-Ruey Tsaur2, Chih-Hai Yang2
1Department of Economics, Aletheia University, 32 Zhenli Street, Danshui 251, Taiwan.
Tourism Management
|April 15, 2020
Summary
World Heritage List (WHL) accreditation may not significantly boost tourism long-term, with only a potential short-run impact observed, particularly for Asian tourists visiting Macau.
Area of Science:
- Tourism Economics
- Cultural Heritage Management
- Econometrics
Background:
- The common assumption is that World Heritage List (WHL) inscription increases tourist arrivals.
- Existing literature lacks rigorous econometric analysis to validate this assumption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To econometrically assess the impact of World Heritage List (WHL) status on visitor numbers.
- To determine the actual effect of WHL accreditation on tourism in the Historic Centre of Macau.
Main Methods:
- Econometric analysis excluding mainland Chinese tourists due to policy restrictions.
- Focus on visitor numbers to the Historic Centre of Macau post-2005 WHL inscription.
Main Results:
- No significant long-term impact of WHL status on overall tourism was found.
- A potential short-run tourism-enhancing effect was identified.
- This short-run effect was particularly noticeable among Asian tourists.
Conclusions:
- WHL status may not be a reliable driver for sustained tourism growth.
- The impact of heritage status on tourism requires nuanced, context-specific econometric evaluation.
- Future research should explore the heterogeneity of tourism impacts across different tourist demographics.
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