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

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• 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
• Keywords: World Heritage Sites / Local Development / Tourism Marketing / Local Identity / Conservation

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.

Free Research Field

Tourism Studies