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Heritage attractions and tourism development in Asia: a comparative study of Hong Kong and Singapore
Author(s) -
Henderson Joan C.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.389
Subject(s) - tourism , cultural heritage , visitor pattern , promotion (chess) , heritage tourism , destinations , revenue , politics , cultural heritage management , tourism geography , marketing , value (mathematics) , cultural tourism , political science , business , economy , economic growth , economics , accounting , machine learning , computer science , law , programming language
The paper compares the principal Asian city destinations of Hong Kong and Singapore with specific reference to heritage attractions and their contribution to tourism development, revealing contrasts and similarities that offer an insight into more general practices and processes. Authorities are actively pursuing tourism marketing and development initiatives incorporating the promotion of selected forms of heritage in order to stimulate visitor arrivals, but also employing heritage to define and articulate national and cultural identity. Heritage is thus shown to have a political and socio‐cultural significance in addition to its economic value as a generator of revenue, foreign exchange and employment. These functions help to explain the higher priority allocated to it in strategic planning and its increasing use to attract visitors throughout much of Asia. Contexts may be very different, yet approaches correspond, as demonstrated by the circumstances of Hong Kong and Singapore. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.