Intangible Cultural Heritage as Symbolic and Emotional Capital: A Cognitive–Affective Analysis of Haikou Qilou Old Street
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29284/1cwbef72Keywords:
intangible cultural heritage (ICH), cultural tourism, destination branding, mutual empowerment, netnography, Haikou Qilou Old StreetAbstract
This study examines how the integration of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and cultural tourism contributes to destination branding in Hainan, China. Taking Haikou Qilou Old Street—a National Historical and Cultural District featuring the country’s largest cluster of Nanyang‑style arcade architecture—as a critical case, we conduct a netnographic content analysis of 723 user‑generated reviews posted on Dianping between October 2024 and February 2025. Using ROSTCM6, we implement word‑frequency, sentiment, and semantic network analyses to reveal the structure of tourists’ cognitive and affective images. Results show that cognitive perceptions are organized around four domains—architectural his-tory, cultural/experiential engagement, culinary commerce, and tourism interaction—while affective responses are predominantly positive and are driven by immersive ICH activities and gastronomic rituals. A three‑tier schema emerges in tourists’ holistic image formation: ICH symbols → cultural attributes → experiential enhancement. Building on these insights, we propose strategies to strengthen multidimensional ICH symbolism, deepen multilayered experiential design, and coordinate multi‑stakeholder collaboration to advance Hainan’s destination branding. The study contributes a cognitive–affective mechanism for ICH‑driven brand co‑creation and offers actionable guidance for heritage‑rich urban destinations.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
