The effect of tour interpretation on perceived heritage values: A comparison of tourists with and without tour guiding interpretation at a heritage destination

Tourism interpretation is an important approach to assisting tourists to obtain the authentic values of heritage destinations so that the effectiveness of tourism interpretation in delivering natural and cultural values becomes of significance. Nevertheless, existing studies have drawn inconsistent conclusions on the effectiveness of interpersonal and non-personal interpretation. Therefore, this study aims to compare perceived heritage values when they are subjected to interpersonal and non-personal interpretations. Further, the study seeks to examine whether interpretive information and interpretive principles affect perceived heritage values. An empirical study was carried out in the World Heritage destination of Wulingyuan in Hunan province, China. Results indicate that interpersonal interpretation outperforms non-personal interpretation in delivering heritage values. Moreover, tourists focus more on the contents of the interpretation than the media the interpretation through which it is delivered. The cultural values of heritage are better interpreted by tour guides. This study is useful to instruct heritage destination managers, as well as to enhance the experience and knowledge of tourists.