The long-run tourism effect of historical celebrities: Evidence from one of the most influential literatus in China

Do historical celebrities contribute to city tourism today? While the existing literature has widely examined the tourism effect of modern film celebrities, it has not yet explored the long-run impact of historical and cultural celebrities on tourism economies. We answer this question by tracing the places of residence of Su Shi, one of the greatest Chinese cultural celebrities in the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127), and estimating the effect on average city tourism between 2002 and 2019. Our ordinary least square estimation finds that one more month of Su Shi’s residence increases domestic tourism revenue today by about 0.3%, leading to an average tourism value of around 118 million Chinese Yuan (about 18 million US dollars). We consolidate the long-run effect with several robustness checks. Channel analysis further shows that his residence facilitates tourism development today and increased cultural heritage in subsequent dynasties. These findings highlight the roles of historical celebrities in fostering cultural heritages and forming city tourism competitiveness.