Unveiling Cultural Heritage: Exploring the Perceived Online Destination Image of China’s Cultural Heritage Destination and Narrative Strategy in Travel Vlogs

ABSTRACT

From the perspective of cultural heritage tourism, this study aimed to explore the narrative strategy utilized in travel vlogs and the perceived online destination image of Meishan City through travel vlogs. Grounded in an interpretivism paradigm, data was collected from WeChat Channels, and a five-element narrative analysis method was adopted to analyze six travel vlogs. The findings revealed that travel vlogs display the online destination image of Meishan City as an authentic cultural heritage destination. The study further identified a three-stage narrative strategy utilized in travel vlogs that effectively integrates intangible and tangible cultural heritage destination elements, including narrative enrichment, narrative ascendant, and narrative resonance. It further enhances the online destination image and highlights the significance of Chinese cultural heritage. This work provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for cultural heritage destination studies and marketing practice.

摘要

从文化遗产旅游的视角，本研究皆在探讨旅游视频中使用的叙事策略以及通过旅游视频感知到的眉山市在线目的地形象。基于解释主义范式，从微信视频号收集数据，并采用五要素叙事分析法对六个旅游视频进行叙事分析。研究结果显示旅游视频展示了眉山市作为一个真实的文化遗产目的地的在线目的地形象。此外，本研究确定了旅游视频的三阶段叙事策略:叙事充实、叙事上升和叙事共鸣。这些叙事策略可以有效地整合有形和无形的文化遗产目的地元素。这将进一步提升中国文化遗产的在线目的地形象以及突出中国文化遗产的意义。本研究对文化遗产目的地研究和营销实践具有重要的理论和实践意义。

KEYWORDS:

• Travel vlogs
• online destination image
• narrative analysis
• cultural heritage tourism
• China

关键词:

• 旅游视频
• 在线目的地形象
• 叙事分析
• 文化遗产旅游
• 中国

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jianwei Ding

Jianwei Ding is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His research interests include social media marketing in tourism and hospitality, culture and tourism, and tourism experience (E-mail: [email protected]).

Md Azalanshah Md Syed

Md Azalanshah Md Syed is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His research interests cover the fields of Asian popular culture, mainly related to serial television drama, gender issues, and Malay studies (E-mail: [email protected]).

Rosya Izyanie Shamshudeen

Rosya Izyanie Shamshudeen is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her main research areas are film studies, broadcasting, and popular culture (E-mail: [email protected]).