UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Social and Managerial Perspectives in Comparisons between Six Countries in Three Regions

• Project/Area Number: 26283020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Tourism Studies
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
• Principal Investigator: LEE Timothy 立命館アジア太平洋大学, アジア太平洋学部, 教授 (20635495)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 森下 正昭 立命館アジア太平洋大学, 国際経営学部, 准教授 (80535865) ; BUI ThanhHuong 立命館アジア太平洋大学, アジア太平洋学部, 助教 (80711556)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥7,150,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,650,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000)
• Keywords: World Heritage Sites / Local Development / Tourism Marketing / Local Identity / Conservation / Tourism development / UNESCO World Heritage / Heritage tourism / Tourism management / Residents' attitude / Branding effects / Government policy / Stakeholder interviews / Questionnaire survey / Local resident attitude

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The study aimed to broaden the scope, expand the scale, deepen the level of analysis, and sharpen the methods of investigation of the socio-economic effects of WHS labeling for a selection of heritage destinations in three regions: North Asia, Southeast Asia and North America. The researchers of the project could collect updated and useful information on different UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, United States, and Mexico. The main outcomes of the project were that each of the six countries has faced unique and different situations, concerns, opportunities, government interventions, and branding image power of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The outcomes were collected from a series of stakeholder/expert interviews and questionnaire surveys in the six countries listed above.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Commodification and politicization of heritage: Implications for heritage tourism at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi (Vietnam) (2015)
  • Author(s): Bui, H. T., & Lee, T. J.
  • Journal Title: Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies Volume: 8(2) Pages: 187-202
  • DOI: 10.14764/10.ASEAS-2015.2-5
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] Impacts of UNESCO World Heritage Site designation on tourism development in Japan: The case of Kyoto and the Iwami Silver Mine (2016)
  • Author(s): Masaaki, M., Bui, H. T., & Lee, T. J.
  • Organizer: The 80th Tourism Sciences Society of Korea (TOSOK) International Tourism Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Alpensia Resort (Pyeongchang, South Korea)
  • Year and Date: 2016-07-14
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Coexistence of Cultural Heritage and War Heritage - The Central Sector of Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Vietnam (2015)
  • Author(s): Thanh Huong Bui
  • Organizer: 8th EuroSEAS Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Vienna, Austria
  • Year and Date: 2015-08-14
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Social and managerial perspectives in a comparative context (2014)
  • Author(s): Timothy Lee, Huong Bui, & Masaaki Morishita
  • Organizer: The 76th Tourism Sciences Society of Korea (TOSOK) International Tourism Conference
  • Place of Presentation: Gangneung-Wonju National University, Gangneung, South Korea
  • Year and Date: 2014-07-03