Heritage spaces in a global context: the case of Singapore Chinatown

Chinatowns are heritage spaces that are historically and geographically specific. Chinatowns are commonly leveraged as heritage attractions in tourism. In this paper, we used data from semi-structured interviews conducted in summer 2018 in Singapore to examine how locals and tourists view Singapore Chinatown. Our results suggest heritage and commercialization are two major themes regarding Chinatown. Both locals and tourists see Chinatown’s heritage value, though their interest levels vary. Their views on commercialization differ: locals see it as a loss of heritage whereas for tourists, it homogenizes Chinatowns. We recommend placing Singapore Chinatown in a global context to amplify its distinction.