A Dynamic Model for Managing Cultural Tourism

Abstract

This research adopts the system dynamics method from complex science to develop a model to address conflicts of development among interest groups in the context of cultural tourism. This study deploys various surveys at different cultural heritage sites and incorporates findings from a literature review of industrial development motives within the fields of economics, geography, sociology, and tourism. Consequently, this research identifies critical factors related to the evolution of the cultural tourism system. Based on these factors, we present a dynamic model including (1) 3 level variables, (2) 6 rate variables, and (3) 35 auxiliary variables. We discuss the three sub-systems of the derived model and the relationships among these sub-systems. The dynamic model suggests that cultural tourism managers should evaluate the benefits of cultural assets, protective investment ratios, crowding ratios, and resident tourism participation ratios as key leverage points in sustaining the development of cultural tourism.

Key words:

• cultural tourism
• system dynamics
• tourism development

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Young Experts Program of China National Tourism Administration; Supported by Program for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi (2012309).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Young Experts Program of China National Tourism Administration [2013]; supported by Program for the Philosophy and Social Sciences Research of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi [2012309].