Tourists’ perceived destination image and heritage conservation intention: a comparative study of heritage and film-induced images

Purpose Kaiping Diaolou in Guangdong Province, China, is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is often used as a film location. This study aims to investigate the antecedents of film-induced heritage conservation behaviour in tourists visiting Kaiping Diaolou. The conceptual premises of stimulus-organism-response theory were used to provide additional insight into the impact of film- and heritage-induced images, and tourists’ perceived authenticity, destination attachment and heritage conservation intention. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested the hypotheses using covariance-based structural equation modelling by using the data collected from the 391 valid questionnaires. Findings The empirical results reveal that both film- and heritage-induced images have a direct impact on tourists’ heritage conservation intention. Furthermore, perceived authenticity and destination attachment fully mediate the relationship between destination image and conservation intention, while the serial multiple mediator effect in the heritage destination image model is not significant. Originality/value The findings contribute to the understanding of tourists’ heritage conservation intention through the lens of destination image, perceived authenticity and destination attachment. The study’s findings enrich the literature on film and heritage tourism regarding destination image construction and heritage conservation and have implications for the sustainable development of heritage tourism and heritage conservation, as well as the marketing of heritage sites.