Heritage Responsibility: Conception, Characteristics and Research Issues

In response to a tourism research paradigm shift in discussion about morality and responsibility, the paper puts forward the conceptheritage responsibilityto develop a framework for heritage tourism research. From the legal perspective, all ICOMOS, UNESCO, ICCROM, UNWTO world heritage related chapters or documents reiterate the role of responsibility in heritage conservation, and the content of responsibility varies with time. From the practice perspective, current tourism development and heritage conservation conflicts raise public awareness of heritage responsibility. From the theoretical perspective, empowerment research without public awareness of responsibility limits the theoretical contribution. Based on Corporate Social Responsibility and Responsible Tourism research, the paper argues that heritage responsibility is a concept that can be used to describe the social responsibility of individuals or organizations and includes the legal, economic,moral and philanthropic responsibility in the process of identifying, interpreting and representing heritage. According to the connotation of heritage and heritage tourism, heritage responsibility is both varied and complex. Considering the core issues of heritage tourism research such as heritage?,interpret for whom?andwho represents heritage?, the author raises the core research issues for heritage responsibility. Who should be responsible for heritage, and what kind of responsibility should they carry? What is the understanding of heritage tourism stakeholders about heritage responsibility and their related behavior?What is heritage responsibility?is the principal research question. Heritage tourism involves various stakeholders whose benefits and values related to heritage are different, and these are reflected in diverse senses of heritage responsibility. Individual attitudes towhat is heritage responsibility?reflect value choice and power position. In this process,the factors that can influence the perception for heritage responsibility are the key issues for future research.What should they be responsible for?is another key issue for future research. There are complicated social connections and power relationships in local places, which influence identity and attachment to place. This place identity will directly influence perception for heritage responsibility and behavior. What are the gaps between perception of heritage responsibility and behavior? The last and the most comprehensive issue is what are the potential impacts that may arise from different heritage responsibility behaviors and attitudes? Various stakeholders act differently with response to their heritage values and their perception of heritage responsibility in the process of heritage tourism development. What are the potential impacts for heritage tourism destination sustainability, and how should destination managers respond? This paper aims to raise relevant research frameworks arising from the discussion of heritage responsibility as a theoretical concept, and invites feedback from researchers in this field.