EXPLORING PLACE ATTACHMENT IN HERITAGE TOURISM: A CASE STUDY OF BAGANSIAPIAPI CHINATOWN, INDONESIA

Authors

  • Pedia Aldy Architecture and Urban Planning Programme, Faculty of Engineering, UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA
  • Nurlisa Ginting Architecture and Urban Planning Programme, Faculty of Engineering, UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA
  • Morida Siagian Architecture and Urban Planning Programme, Faculty of Engineering, UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA
  • Dwi Lindarto Hadinugroho Architecture and Urban Planning Programme, Faculty of Engineering, UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1777

Keywords:

Place Attachment, Heritage Tourism, Bagansiapiapi Chinatown, Cultural Heritage, Historical Buildings

Abstract

This article aimed to explore place attachment in Bagansiapiapi, focusing on the cultural heritage surrounding Chinatown. The goal is to preserve the uniqueness of local cultural heritage to enhance the attractiveness of sustainable heritage tourism and improve the economy and well-being of the local community. 193 residents and 193 tourists were stratified and randomly completed the questionnaire. The twelve key informants were purposive sampling selected by semi-structured interviews and observation at the research location by photo documentation. Place attachment is influenced by historical, belief, cultural, and social factors significant. Bagansiapiapi Chinatown demonstrates a strong sense of place attachment by focusing on two key aspects: emotional attachment and memories experience. These findings are expected to contribute to sustainable heritage tourism preservation in Bagansiapiapi and promote cultural heritage as a tourist attraction aligned with the sustainable cities and the welfare of the local communities. This study provides an innovative method for preserving cultural heritage for tourism stakeholders. It focuses on place attachment established by cultural heritage and applied as a reference for sustainable development by practitioners in various sectors, including tourism planners and government officials. This research examines the relationship between place attachment and cultural heritage tourism in Bagansiapiapi. It analyzes how cultural heritage influences the identity of the Chinese community and offers strategies for sustainable tourism development to enhance economic growth while preserving cultural heritage.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ajuhari, Z., Aziz, A., & Bidin, S. (2023). Characteristics of attached visitors in ecotourism destination. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 42(March), 100608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2023.100608

Alcindor, M., Jackson, D., & Alcindor-Huelva, P. (2021). Heritage places and the place attachment of adolescents: The case of the Castelo of Vila Nova de Cerveira (Portugal). Journal of Rural Studies, 88(August), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.07.025

Aleksandrova, A., & Aigina, E. (2017). Modern Aspects of Cultural and Historical Heritage Involvement in Tourism Activities in Russia. Almatourism Special Issue N, 7, 244–254. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-

Avifah, N., Hasanah, M., & Munir, F. (2022). Gambaran Place Attachment Pada Masyarakat Daerah Makam Sunan Giri Gresik. Busyro: Jurnal Dakwah Dan Komunikasi Islam, 4(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.55352/kpi.v4i1.242

Chen, N. (Chris), & Dwyer, L. (2018). Residents’ Place Satisfaction and Place Attachment on Destination Brand-Building Behaviors: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation. Journal of Travel Research, 57(8), 1026–1041. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287517729760

Creswell, J. W. (2010). Research design: pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed (3th ed.). Pustaka Pelajar.

Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/designing-and-conducting-mixed-methods-research/book241842

Degnen, C. (2016). Socialising place attachment: Place, social memory and embodied affordances. Ageing and Society, 36(8), 1645–1667. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X15000653

Flick, U. (2018). An Introduction to Qualitative Research (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Ginting, Y. M., Sitompul, S. S., Siregar, H. A., & Suroyo. (2022). Bakar Tongkang: Manajemen Pengetahuan Pariwisata Budaya Berkelanjutan Etnis Tionghoa di Bagansiapiapi (Instrumen Pengukuran Daya Saing Pariwisata Budaya Berkelanjutan) (: Raya Desmawanto (ed.); 1st ed.). Yayasan Citra Unggul Demokrasi Indonesia (Anggota IKAPI).

Graham, B., & Ashworth, G. J. (2005). Senses of Place: Senses of Time (1st ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Senses-of-Place-Senses-of-Time/Graham-Ashworth/p/book/9781138248458

Irani, M., Rasoulzadeh Aghdam, S., & Ghasemzadeh, B. (2023). Investigating the link between place attachment, civic engagement, and pro-environmental behaviors. Environmental Development, 47(January), 100897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2023.100897

Jahan, R. (2019). Heritage Tourism in South Tamil Nadu - India. Journal of Tourism & Hospitality, 08(01), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.35248/2167-0269.19.8.399

Jin, M. L., Choi, Y., Lee, C. K., & Ahmad, M. S. (2020). Effects of place attachment and image on revisit intention in an ecotourism destination: Using an extended model of goal-directed behavior. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(18). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12187831

Latiff, K., Ng, S. I., Aziz, Y. A., & Basha, N. K. (2020). Antecedent and outcome of place attachment in heritage sites. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 4(1), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.47263/jasem.4(1)06

Lebrusán, I., & Gómez, M. V. (2022). The Importance of Place Attachment in the Understanding of Ageing in Place: “The Stones Know Me.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(24), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417052

Lee, T. H., Chao, W. H., & Lin, H. Y. (2018). Cultural inheritance of Hakka cuisine: A perspective from tourists’ experiences. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 7, 101–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2016.09.006

Li, J., Luo, J., Deng, T., Tian, J., & Wang, H. (2023). Exploring perceived restoration, landscape perception, and place attachment in historical districts: insights from diverse visitors. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(August), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1156207

Lin, Z., & Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2023). Influencing factors on the intention of sharing heritage tourism experience in social media. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 14(4), 675–700. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-05-2021-0157

Madgin, R., Bradley, L., & Hastings, A. (2016). Connecting physical and social dimensions of place attachment: What can we learn from attachment to urban recreational spaces? Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 31(4), 677–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-016-9495-4

Madgin, R., & Lesh, J. (2021). People-Centred Methodologies for Heritage Conservation Exploring Emotional Attachments to Historic Urban Places. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/People-Centred-Methodologies-for-Heritage-Conservation-Exploring-Emotional/Madgin-Lesh/p/book/9781032006239

Mandal, S., Das, P., Chandran, A., Krishnaunni, J., & Murali, H. (2023). Place attachment: developing measurement scale based on three destinations. Anatolia, 34(4), 552–565. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2022.2096652

Meng, Y., Shi, J., Lyu, M., & Sun, D. (2024). Research into the Influence Mechanisms of Visual-Comfort and Landscape Indicators of Urban Green Spaces.

Nian, S., Zhang, H., Mao, L., Zhao, W., Zhang, H., Lu, Y., Zhang, Y., & Xu, Y. (2019). How Outstanding Universal Value, service quality and place attachment influences tourist intention towardsworld heritage conservation: A case study of Mount Sanqingshan National Park, China. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(12), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU11123321

Novianti, Y., Ginting, N., & Marpaung, B. O. Y. (2018). Place attachment of the public space in Krueng Cunda. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/126/1/012154

Nugroho, A. C., & Hardilla, D. (2020). The Importance of Cultural Heritage Conservation in Society: A Review and Prospect for Future Cities, with Bandar Lampung as Cased Study. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 409(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/409/1/012013

Park, E., Choi, B.-K., & Lee, T. J. (2019). The role and dimensions of authenticity in heritage tourism. Tourism Management, 74, 99–109. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.03.001

Poria, Y., & Ashworth, G. (2009). Heritage Tourism—Current Resource for Conflict. Annals of Tourism Research, 36(3), 522–525. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2009.03.003

Ruan, W. Q., Wang, M. Y., Zhang, S. N., Li, Y. Q., & Su, X. (2024). Knowledge-based or affection-based? The influence mechanism of heritage tourism interpretation content on tourists’ willingness to inherit culture. Tourism Management, 102(December 2023), 104876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104876

Santa, E. Dela, & Tiatco, S. A. (2019). Tourism, heritage and cultural performance: Developing a modality of heritage tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 31(May), 301–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.06.001

Sari, P., Munandar, A., & Fatimah, I. S. (2018). Perception of place attachment between cultural heritage in Yogyakarta City. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 179(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/179/1/012012

Sugiyono. (2019). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif (Setiyawami (ed.); 2nd ed.). Alfabeta, Bandung.

Timothy, D. J. (2020). Cultural Heritage and Tourism. An Introduction. 2nd (Bristol (ed.); 2nd ed.). Blue Ridge Summit. https://doi.org/10.21832/TIMOTH7710

Wang, Y. (2023). Exploring multiple dimensions of attachment to historic urban places, a case study of Edinburgh, Scotland. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 29(5), 428–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2023.2193817

Yao, K., & Rasidi, M. H. Bin. (2024). Place Attachment of Ancient Bridge: Socio-Cultural Perspective Exploration of the SDG. 5, 1–17.

Zhao, C. (2021). The Construction of the Derivative Value of Heritage Tourism on the Basis of Symbolic Consumption. Habitat International, 251, 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202125101090

Downloads

Published

2025-10-16

How to Cite

Aldy, P., Ginting, N., Siagian, M., & Hadinugroho, D. L. (2025). EXPLORING PLACE ATTACHMENT IN HERITAGE TOURISM: A CASE STUDY OF BAGANSIAPIAPI CHINATOWN, INDONESIA. PLANNING MALAYSIA, 23(38). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1777

Issue

Vol. 23 (2025): PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL : Volume 23, Issue 4, 2025

Section

Article

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

Copyright & Creative Commons Licence

eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.