Influencing factors and formation process of cultural inheritance-based innovation at heritage tourism destinations

Cultural inheritance-based innovation (CIBI) is based on paradoxical phenomena and its development clarifies conflicts between cultural inheritance and innovative development at heritage tourism destinations (HTDs). This study uses innovation systems theory and qualitative methods to explore the influencing factors and formation process of CIBI. Our findings demonstrate that CIBI is influenced by multilevel factors of the environment, government, enterprises and public, encompassing basic innovation management conditions and sociocultural constraints. Moreover, CIBI is a process that counterbalances the paradoxical elements of cultural inheritance and innovation through innovation system support. This study deepens the understanding of the paradoxical relationship between heritage conservation and innovation. By incorporating cultural inheritance constraints, it extends the framework of factors influencing cultural innovation at tourism destinations (TDs) and enriches related process research. Additionally, our results provide insights into the paradoxical management and synergistic promotion of cultural inheritance and innovation at HTDs.