Examining the Structural Relationships among Heritage Proximity, Perceived Impacts, Attitude and Residents’ Support in Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism

Among the many methods of revitalizing intangible cultural heritage (ICH), tourism undoubtedly has the largest social and economic benefits. Taijiquan, also known as Tai Chi, was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020. It provides the local destination with a unique selling point for strengthening local tourism competitiveness. The research on the relationship between the heritage proximity and residents’ perceived impacts to ICH tourism is not sufficient within the tourism literature, whereas they have recently attracted numerous interests worldwide. In response, this study aims to examine the relationships among residents’ heritage proximity, perceived impacts of ICH tourism, attitude and support. Structural equation modelling has been performed and a total of 262 residents were investigated in Wen County, China. Results indicates that residents’ heritage proximity has positive influence on perceived positive impacts, while has no influence on perceived negative impacts. Residents’ heritage proximity and perceived impacts significantly influence their attitude, so that to influence residents’ support for tourism development. This study makes a significant theoretical contribution to the ICH tourism literature. Furthermore, this study has a number of practical implications for the local departments of tourism and ICH.