Strategies for Sustainable Tourism at the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, China (SpringerBriefs in Archaeology)

At the Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage site near Dunhuang city in Gansu Province, visitor numbers have increased inexorably since 1979 when the site opened. A national policy that identifies tourism as a pillar industry, along with pressure from local authorities and businesses to encourage more tourism, threatens to lead to an unsustainable situation for management, an unsafe and uncomfortable experience for visitors and irreparable damage to the fragile art of the cave temples for which the site is famous. In the context of the comprehensive visitor management plan developed for the Mogao Grottoes, a multi-year study began in 2001 as a joint undertaking of the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation Institute to determine the impact of visitation on the painted caves and develop strategies for sustainable visitation such that, once implemented, these threats would be resolved. The methodological framework featured a major research and assessment component that integrates visitor studies; laboratory investigations; environmental monitoring; field testing and condition assessment to address the issues affecting the grottoes and visitors. Results from this component led to defining limiting conditions, which were the basis for establishing a visitor capacity policy for the grottoes and developing long-term monitoring and management tools. Preface 6 Acknowledgments 8 Contents 10 List of Figures 12 Chapter 1: Introduction 18 References 26 Chapter 2: Conceptual Frameworks for Managing Visitor Impact 27 2.1 Concept of Visitor Carrying Capacity 27 2.2 Application of Visitor Impact Models to Cultural Heritage Sites 30 2.3 The Chinese Context 33 References 38 Chapter 3: The Mogao Grottoes 42 3.1 The Mogao Grottoes: Past and Present 42 3.2 Site and Visitor Management and the Master Planning Process 48 References 53 Chapter 4: The Mogao Visitor Study 55 4.1 Methodology of the Visitor Study 55 4.1.1 Parameters of the Study and Management Objectives 55 4.1.2 Issues, Indicators, and Desired Conditions 60 4.2 Research and Assessment Strategy 62 4.2.1 Assessment of Visitation to the Mogao Grottoes 62 4.2.2 Analytical Investigations 73 4.2.3 Environmental Investigations 79 4.2.4 Assessment of Condition and Visitation Potential 91 4.3 Defining the Limiting Conditions 98 References 101 Chapter 5: Strategies for Sustainable Tourism 103 5.1 Developing Monitoring and Management Tools and Strategies 103 5.1.1 Applying the Management Tools 105 5.1.2 Monitoring Indicators and Management Actions 107 5.2 Enhancing and Diversifying the Visitor Experience 107 5.2.1 Enhancing Presentation of the Caves 108 5.2.2 Visitor Management and Interpretation 113 References 117 Conclusions 118 References 121 Author Bios 122 Index 124 Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Introduction....Pages 1-9 Conceptual Frameworks for Managing Visitor Impact....Pages 11-25 The Mogao Grottoes....Pages 27-39 The Mogao Visitor Study....Pages 41-88 Strategies for Sustainable Tourism....Pages 89-103 Back Matter....Pages 105-114