An experiencescape approach to tourist experiences of intangible cultural heritage : the case of Macau

Abstract

If destinations are to become and remain competitive in the global tourism industry, destination management organizations (DMOs) should understand the experiences that tourists are seeking when engaging with key attractions (Willson & McIntosh, 2007). Attractions which are reflective of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) provide an avenue for authentic experiences and may offer positioning, which reflects the cultural diversity of a place and its people. At the same time, it offers new experiences to meet tourists' needs. Experiencescapes are spaces of pleasure, enjoyment and entertainment, which are sought by both producers and consumers. The examination of experiencescapes and the roles that different stakeholders play within them can lead to meaningful tourist experiences. This study examines perspectives towards Macau's tourist experiencescapes with a particular reference to the ICH dimension. An experiencescape approach has been adopted because Macau is a World Heritage City with strengths in cultural tourism, which can potentially contribute to the economy. The study investigates how ICH in a tourism-dependent World Heritage City provides a resource for enhancing tourist experiencescapes. It also explores processes of constructing tourist experiencescapes within the context of ICH. A qualitative approach is applied to explore the various components of tourist experiencescapes that are associated with ICH in Macau. Using three typical ICH events (A-Ma Festival, Feast of Drunken Dragon, Feast of Na Tcha) in the research scope, this study investigated tourist participants on their evolving event experience process in three continuous stages (pre-event, on-site, post-event stages). Various stakeholders' subjective perspectives were collected. Given the complexity of ICH experiencescapes, the proposed framework is confined to outlining tourist perspectives of their evolving event experience in a dynamic process. Detailed elaborations of other stakeholder perspectives were highlighted within their sphere. Various managerial implications were eventually raised to the key stakeholders for better delivering the ICH event experiences to tourists, particularly the DMO in Macau. The results of this study provide a holistic view of the construction of tourist experiencescapes in the ICH context in Macau. The study offers a preliminary step towards the application of experiencescapes in the field of ICH and encourages the further exploration of this concept in other destination contexts or similar contexts.