Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Carbon Emissions and Their Influencing Factors for Tourist Attractions at Heritage Tourist Destinations

Chengcai Tang, Ziwei Wan, Pin Ng, Xiangyi Dai, Qiuxiang Sheng and Da Chen
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Chengcai Tang: School of Tourism Sciences, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing 100024, China
Ziwei Wan: School of Tourism Sciences, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing 100024, China
Pin Ng: W. A. Franke College of Business, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
Xiangyi Dai: College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China
Qiuxiang Sheng: School of Tourism Sciences, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing 100024, China
Da Chen: Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Carbon emissions play an important role in sustainable tourism development at heritage sites. The study takes the Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (WSHIA) as an example, and primary and secondary data sources are used to measure and estimate the carbon emissions of tourist attractions from 1979 to 2014. The temporal and spatial evolution of carbon emissions and their influencing factors for tourist attractions at heritage tourist destinations are analyzed. The results show that there are great differences in carbon emissions per visitor across the different types of tourism attractions at the heritage tourist destination, and there are significant monthly and interannual differences in the carbon emissions of the tourism attractions in the WSHIA. The main influencing factors include tourism seasonality, the rapid growth of China’s tourism market, and the rising popularity of heritage tourism. The spatial evolution of carbon emissions of the tourist attractions can be divided into three stages, and its main influencing factors include functional zoning and environmental regulation at the heritage sites and diversified evolution of the heritage tourist attractions. The findings of this study could enrich theories of low-carbon tourism and provide the low-carbon development measures of sustainable tourism in heritage tourist destinations for policymakers.

Keywords: carbon emissions; tourist attractions; heritage tourist destination; temporal and spatial evolution; influencing factors; sustainable tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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