Unraveling Tourists’ Perceptions Towards Conservation of the Unesco-Listed Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China: A Network Text Analysis

The Digital Dunhuang project aims to utilize digital technology to replicate and preserve the invaluable Dunhuang culture and art. Conservation of heritage becomes a consensus for conscious participation. Tourists' perceptions of heritage conservation at heritage sites strongly influence their travel experience. Understanding tourists' perceptions of the conservation of this digital platform is essential for its effective implementation. In the era of extensive growth in online tourism platforms, online posts and reviews have become crucial determinants of tourists' consumption choices. This study focuses on the analysis of online posts on Weibo related to Digital Dunhuang to explore tourists' perceptions of sustainable digitalization in cultural heritage tourism. This study employs network text analysis, word frequency analysis, semantic network analysis, and sentiment analysis of online travel posts and reviews using ROST CM6.0 to illustrate that Digital Dunhuang has markedly increased the visibility and appeal of Dunhuang, while also stimulating substantial interest in its cultural and digital initiatives. Furthermore, the limited mention of Digital Dunhuang in discussions related to conservation indicates a significant lack of awareness concerning the conservation efforts associated with Digital Dunhuang. The findings offer valuable insights into tourists' perceptions of Digital Dunhuang's alignment with successful conservation, contributing to methodological approaches to network analysis and sustainable cultural heritage tourism destination strategies.