Cultural heritage elements in tourism: A tier structure from a tripartite analytical framework

Abstract The sheer richness of cultural heritage (CH), as shown in the quantity, diversity, and different levels of quality of its elements, challenges people who try to grasp it. This paper develops a tripartite framework to obtain a holistic and structural understanding of CH elements of a tourism site based on their positions in cultural heritage, tourism production, and tourist consumption. Multiple methods were used to operationalize this framework in a case study of Yueyang Tower in China. Eight dimensions were derived to evaluate CH elements: cultural importance, contribution to place, physical presentation, onsite interpretation, general importance to visitors, prior knowledge, motivation to visit, and onsite experience. A tier structure was identified comprising: the dominant element, the distinctive few, and the nebulous plenty. Within this structure are processes of inherited value assessment, national value transmission, and local value thematization. This research provides knowledge grounded in empirical cultural data and offers insights into issues in cultural heritage tourism practice and research.