Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
2007 Annual International CHRIE Conference & Exposition 
532
(UNESCO). UNESCO’s role in tourism development has been to provide a motivation for better cultural 
conservation and planning with the lure of a World Heritage inscription. In Beijing the Asia Pacific UNESCO 
office and Beijing government are coordinating the efforts regarding a World Heritage nomination for the remains 
of the Imperial Old City including the Hutongs
 
close to the site.
 
Community 
Local residents were deeply concerned about the protection of the Hutongs
 
and how tourism development 
of this heritage resource will impact their exclusive Hutong life style. Residents of the Hutongs have long appealed 
to the Government for protecting their lifestyle from the ever increasing tourist traffic. For example, the Shichahai 
area which includes Shichahai Lake, the old Hutongs
 
and the other historic sites has become a very popular tourist 
destination. Tour guides that bring the tourists there have polluted the life style of the long time Hutong residents. 
The community sued the tour operator and the government acted by assigning a special tourist parking lot to direct 
the traffic away from the Hutong residents. 
 
However, often times the residents’ efforts in preserving their Hutongs were less successful and went 
neglected. Hua Xinmin, whose father was an architect and who lived in the Hutongs in her early days, became a 
famous voluntary Hutong conservationist. She rode a bike and surveyed extensively on the status and the extent of 
the remaining Hutongs. She submitted her report to the Beijing Planning Committee calling for more legal 
protection for the Hutongs, but received no answer from the government.
Summary
The interdependency of stakeholders involved in producing and promoting the tourism products provides a 
basis for the development of a tourism alliance. The data from this case study; such as interviews, government 
polices, document reviews, reports and observation; delineated relevant initiatives of the stakeholders in Hutong 
tourism development and at the same time revealed their problems and concerns in the development process. Those 
initiatives and concerns lend themselves to developing a strategic alliance that should engage relevant stakeholders 
and incorporate their interests in tourism development. Table 1 offers a summary of the initiatives, coverage of 
responsibilities, and concerns of the stakeholders in cultural tourism projects.