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Arid Land Geography ›› 2023, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (6): 1024-1037.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2022.394

• Regional Development • Previous Articles    

Globalization path of cultural tourism cities based on residents’ perception: A case of Dunhuang City, China

WANG Yidan1(),YANG Yongchun1,2(),LIU Qing3,LU Zhongmingnan4,HE Yao1   

  1. 1. College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China
    2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, China
    3. School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
    4. Department of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, New South Wales, Australia
  • Received:2022-08-11 Revised:2022-10-26 Online:2023-06-25 Published:2023-07-24

Abstract:

The globalized image of a tourism city is based on residential identity and environmental perception under globalization. This study combs through the evolution process and characteristics of Dunhuang’s transformation from a localized city to a globalized city based on tourism since the start of the country’s reform and opening up policy, and tries to conclude the “reverse” globalization path based on cultural tourism that breaks through the traditional linear industrial transformation mode, in which states transform from agricultural to industrial, and then to the service industry. The results show the following: (1) The willingness of local residents to accept and adapt to foreign cultures, mindsets, and lifestyles promoted the globalization of Dunhuang City; the promotion of the globalization of Dunhuang City through international exchange and communication is indirectly achieved by enhancing the international visibility and influence of cultural tourism resources and promoting economic development through conferences; the globalization of the urban landscape and communication contributes to the globalization of cultural communication because the outstanding location of Dunhuang City, which is deep inland of western China, greatly promotes the cultural exchange and cooperation among cities; the path coefficient of urban landscape globalization perception on the tourism city brand globalization perception indicates that urban planning and the development of infrastructure and tourism service facilities can increase the visibility of Dunhuang City as an international tourism city and contribute to its integration into the international tourism network. (2) This study analyzes the driving mechanism of Dunhuang’s globalization from four behavioral aspects: the government, residents, foreign tourists, and academic institutions. From the development process of Dunhuang’s globalization, it can be seen that its globalization origins are from the opening of the city’s tourism and international cultural communication by promoting the city’s world heritage characteristics and having global tourism visits, receptions, and other city diplomacy events. Subsequently, Dunhuang’s international tourism drives the city’s construction and transformation, the related infrastructure and services continue to be modernized and internationalized, and a combination of foreign exchanges and tourism promotion meetings continues to broaden the city’s source market and improve the stability of the tourism market. Finally, Dunhuang’s urban transformation and cultural landscape feeds back into the city’s tourism and global marketing. This globalization process can be broadly divided into three phases: rapid start, stable development, and reform and development. The transformation and globalization of Dunhuang City can be divided into three phases: (1) transformation from a traditional agricultural county to a cultural tourism city, driven by the market demand generated by overseas tourist visits; (2) formation of an economic development model, which is underpinned by the cultural tourism industry and accelerates the construction and upgrade of urban infrastructure; (3) promotion of the transformation from a modern cultural tourism city to an “international exchange center” and “top international tourism center”, with deepening integration of cultural tourism industries and strengthening of the development of global target markets. The elements of globalization in Dunhuang City are spatially expressed as driven by market forces and influenced by government macropolicy regulation, and that the spatiotemporal evolution of tourism elements has obvious stages, imbalances, and unevenness.

Key words: globalization paths, perception of residents, structurals equation model, Dunhuang City