Development Under Belt and Road Initiative: Gains for Tourism Industry in Participant Countries

Ahmad, Tooba; Ullah, Sami

doi:10.1080/19388160.2023.2167895

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Ahmad & Ullah (2023) uncovered increased inbound travel and revenues from a panel analysis of 140 BRI member states, with pronounced tourism economy gains in South/Western Asian regions. They have also advocated for more cooperation and private-sector strategies to leverage these trends [ 32 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Belt and Road Initiative’s impact on tourism and heritage along the Silk Roads: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

Dayoub,

Yang,

Omran

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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This is a systematic review of the literature on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its impact on tourism and heritage in participating countries along the Silk Roads. China launched the BRI in 2013 with the aim of promoting global trade and stimulating economic growth through the development of infrastructure and cultural cooperation. This review examines studies for the period from 2013 to 2023, focusing on key themes such as tourist flows, destination development, urban renewal, heritage preservation, and cultural route revival. The systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, incorporating 56 relevant documents that cover both tourism and heritage domains. The findings highlight substantial potential for the development of new tourism products and destinations, improved urban renewal, and the preservation of cultural heritage, provided that integrated policies, public-private collaboration, and equitable community participation frameworks are implemented with attention to ecological limits. However, the review also identifies significant challenges, including financial imbalances, uneven access to benefits, social disruption, cultural commodification, and environmental degradation. Addressing these issues requires careful, context-specific planning. The study concludes with a proposal for a future research agenda that includes exploring underrepresented regions, developing sustainable tourism models, and fostering interdisciplinary research to ensure a balanced approach to economic development and heritage preservation. This review’s findings provide valuable insight for policymakers, tourism officials, and cultural heritage managers, guiding the development of policies that balance economic growth with the preservation of cultural and natural heritage sites. This research contributes to the academic discourse by elucidating the complex interplay between the BRI and the Silk Roads’ tourism and heritage, offering a pathway for sustainable and inclusive growth.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The BRI’s routing is based on the Ancient Silk Road, and its economic focus has affected both tourism and cultural significance along the communities it connects [ 32 , 33 ]. However, some observers believe that cultural considerations may have been overlooked in the early stages of developing the Silk Road Economic Belt [ 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Belt and Road Initiative’s impact on tourism and heritage along the Silk Roads: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

Dayoub,

Yang,

Omran

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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“…Launched in 2013, the BRI encompasses over 70 countries and entails investment in infrastructure, trade, and cultural exchange [60,61]. As part of the BRI, cultural tourism along the Silk Roads has drawn renewed attention, with initiatives to preserve, promote, and develop heritage sites, routes, and experiences [62][63][64][65][66].…”

Section: Cultural Tourism Along the Silk Roads And The Belt And Road ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Silk Roads: Leveraging the Metaverse for Cultural Tourism within the Belt and Road Initiative Framework

Dayoub,

Yang,

Omran

et al. 2024

Electronics

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The advent of the Metaverse, a convergence of virtual and physical realities, presents unprecedented opportunities for promoting cultural tourism along the historic Silk Roads within the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework. However, this emerging technology’s potential remains largely unexplored in the context of cultural heritage preservation and its promotion. The aim of this study is to address this gap by empirically examining how the Metaverse can be harnessed to improve tourists’ experiences, support sustainable tourism development, and promote cultural exchange along the Silk Roads. In this study, we employed a mixed-methods approach grounded in attribution theory, using both surveys and semi-structured interviews with Silk Road tourists who had been exposed to Metaverse applications. To investigate the relationships between Metaverse features, tourists’ attributions, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions, we used structural equation modeling and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that perceived immersion, avatar identification, and cultural authenticity significantly influenced tourists’ internal, stable, and controllable attributions. Interviews further highlighted the Metaverse’s potential to promote accessibility, interpretation, and engagement with Silk Road heritage, while also raising sociocultural and ethical considerations. This paper also showcases the development of Metaverse digital twin prototypes for several iconic Silk Road cities to demonstrate the potential for participatory virtual environments to promote cultural heritage preservation, accessibility, and sustainable tourism. The study’s findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of Metaverse tourism and the application of attribution theory, offering practical insight for the responsible and effective harnessing of this transformative technology. This research provides actionable recommendations for policymakers, destination managers, and technology providers to optimize the Metaverse’s potential for cultural tourism along the Silk Roads. This has great potential in promoting the BRI’s connectivity and cooperation objectives. This paper lays the foundation for future research and responsible innovation at the intersection of emerging technologies, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism development.

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“…The BRI seeks to strengthen ties and promote cooperation by investing in large-scale infrastructure development such as roads, railways, ports, pipelines, and technology networks, to rebuild land and sea trade corridors between China and other countries (Cui and Song, 2019;Feng, Zhao et al, 2019). However, some experts have criticized the BRI for emphasizing complex infrastructure and economic concerns more than the rich cultural heritage that characterized the ancient Silk Roads (Ahmad and Ullah, 2023;Zhang, K., del Valle-Brena et al, 2022). In order to understand the essence of these historical methods in the modern era, it is necessary to explore new digital opportunities and move beyond physical networks (Gursoy and Altinay, 2021;Mamirkulova, Mi et al, 2020;Zhang, C., Deng et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Metaverse in Silk Road’s Tourism:

Dayoub,

Yang,

Omran

et al. 2024

IRSPSD International

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This paper examines the potential of emerging immersive technologies like the Metaverse to promote the Silk Road cultural heritage within the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The ancient Silk Roads facilitated vibrant pan-Eurasian exchange for over 1500 years, catalyzing early globalization. Modern connectivity initiatives like China's BRI focus extensively on infrastructure to revive these cultural linkages that defined the historic Silk Roads. However, realizing the tourism and developmental potential of the intercultural legacy tied to architectural sites, motifs, cuisine, beliefs, and artistic traditions diffused along these historic routes faces contemporary challenges around preservation, geopolitics, site deterioration, costs, uneven access, and cultural homogenization. This study explores the implications of Metaverse in revitalizing this heritage in situ and through digital channels. The paper provides a multi-disciplinary approach to aligning digital revitalization plans around the Metaverse for the future that reconnect modern societies with ancient linkages via immersive storytelling of the Silk Roads.

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Development Under Belt and Road Initiative: Gains for Tourism Industry in Participant Countries

Cited by 5 publications

References 67 publications

The Belt and Road Initiative’s impact on tourism and heritage along the Silk Roads: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

The Belt and Road Initiative’s impact on tourism and heritage along the Silk Roads: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

Digital Silk Roads: Leveraging the Metaverse for Cultural Tourism within the Belt and Road Initiative Framework

The Role of Metaverse in Silk Road’s Tourism:

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