Developing Heritage Tourism Along Grand Canal China: A Cultural Route Approach in the Grain Transport Hub of Huai’an

Abstract

China’s Grand Canal is a large-scale, cross-regional, linear cultural heritage site that preserves local historical memories and is an important heritage tourism attraction. However, the development of cultural tourism along the canal has remained relatively stagnant. A combination of heritage protection and cultural tourism, cultural routes have achieved significant results in Europe. Therefore, this study uses this concept to explore how to balance the relationship between tourist needs and attraction planning to establish a sustainable canal culture tourism system in China. This study considered the water transport hub of the Huai’an Grand Canal as the project area. First, the relevant materials of grain transporting cultural resources were collected; then, they were coded and categorized according to heritage attributes. Scattered heritage attractions were made in series through serial narratives, and final interviews with local residents were conducted to assess the feasibility of route planning. The study found that (1) the classification of heritage categories is helpful for the establishment of the grain transporting cultural value cognition; (2) recreating heritage scenes in the form of sequential narratives can enhance visitor experience; and (3) attraction planning can simultaneously meet the needs of tourists and the development of the place.