Actors and the multiple imaginaries on the tourist sites: a case study of the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China

Tourism imaginaries at UNESCO World Heritage Sites are not merely individual constructs but are shaped by actors' practices and socially negotiated. A study of the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China, reveals three dominant symbolic spaces—art, national, and religious—that each engage distinct tourism imaginaries and practices. The research extends Tim Edensor's framework by integrating 'actors' into the analysis, demonstrating how these imaginaries coexist, compete, or align within a single site. The Dunhuang Academy emerges as an institutional actor whose practices reflect a network of meaning composed of diverse imaginaries, often referencing different imagined geographies. This approach highlights the complexity and dynamism of tourism imaginaries in heritage sites.

Ku, M.-C. (2011). Actors and the multiple imaginaries on the tourist sites: a case study of the Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, China. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change, 9(3), 217–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/14766825.2011.620120