Impact of Global-Local Identity and Perceived Cultural Resilience on Sojourners’ Sustainable Uses of Cultural Heritage: Evidence from Dali

This study investigates how sojourners’ global-local identities influence their sustainable behaviors toward local cultural heritage, with a focus on the mediating role of perceived cultural resilience and the moderating effect of relative deprivation. Using a quantitative approach with 352 survey responses from sojourners in Dali, China, the research employs PLS-SEM to test a conceptual model. Results reveal that both global and local identities positively affect perceived cultural resilience, which fully mediates their relationship with sustainable heritage use. Relative deprivation negatively moderates the link between local identity and perceived cultural resilience, indicating that perceived inequities weaken the positive impact of local attachment on resilience perceptions. Notably, global identity’s effect on perceived cultural resilience remains unaffected by relative deprivation, suggesting a “cosmopolitan buffer” against deprivation. The findings contribute to cultural resilience theory in tourism and offer practical insights for heritage management, emphasizing the need for inclusive governance to leverage dual identity pathways for sustainable cultural conservation.