How do tourists’ heritage spatial perceptions affect place identity? A case study of Quanzhou, China

The significance and social potential of cultural heritage tourism have been acknowledged worldwide, while less is known about the formation of tourists' place identity at cultural heritage sites. This research explores and examine how tourists' place identity is formed from a perceptual perspective. Two studies were conducted for this purpose. In Study 1, 30 tourists were interviewed, leading to three dimensions of tourists' heritage spatial perceptions (THSPs) (ontological spatial perceptions, representative spatial perceptions, and value-based spatial perceptions). Study 2 surveyed 336 tourists and found that THSPs could promote tourists' place identity through functional satisfaction and emotional involvement, while the impacts of THSPs on tourists' place identity demonstrated dimensional differences. Cultural intelligence positively moderated this process. These findings contribute to an enhanced understanding of tourists’ perceptions in cultural heritage tourism and present practical implications for managers on how to foster place identity at heritage sites.