2026-10-06T17:37:05Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34047194 2026-10-01T16:38:09Z category_15 category_272 category_45 category_122 category_132 portal_87 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

Personalised immersion, community engagement, and place identity in China rural heritage tourism Yiwei Wang (403386) Xiaohan Liu (477169) Jingtang Zhong (25157492) Jinge Yao (25157495) Neuroscience Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Sociology Mental Health Infectious Diseases Eleni Michopoulou Intangible cultural heritage immersive tourism place identity community-based engagement dynamic SEM rural China tourismification longitudinal <p>The rapid tourismification of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) performance in rural China has transformed village spaces into immersive cultural landscapes, yet its temporal effects on residents’ place identity remain poorly understood. Drawing on place identity theory and community-based engagement scholarship, this study examines how residents’ perceptions of immersive heritage tourism evolve over time and influence place belonging, cultural pride, and community cohesion. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted across rural ICH performance destinations in Yunnan and Guizhou, China (baseline <i>N</i> = 420; analytical <i>N</i> = 378). Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling was used to separate within-person temporal fluctuations from between-person stable differences. Results reveal a dual-edged process. At the between-person level, sustained community engagement mediates a positive association between immersive heritage tourism and place identity. At the within-person level, intensified tourismification predicts erosion of perceived cultural authenticity, which is associated with weaker affective bonds to place. A positive sequential indirect effect through community engagement also accumulates across waves. These findings introduce a temporal perspective to the heritage–place identity nexus and inform more community-sensitive immersive tourism development.</p> 2026-10-01T16:38:09Z Text Journal contribution 10.6084/m9.figshare.34047194.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Personalised_immersion_community_engagement_and_place_identity_in_China_rural_heritage_tourism/34047194 CC BY 4.0