Value Perception and Willingness to Pay for Architectural Heritage Conservation: Evidence from Kumbum Monastery in China

The protection and utilization of architectural heritage requires the synergistic cooperation of multiple interest groups. Tourists’ perception of the value of architectural heritage will determine how much attention and support they pay to heritage protection, which in turn affects their participation and willingness to pay. This paper establishes the value perception evaluation system of architectural heritage for Kumbum Monastery in China, quantifies tourists’ willingness to pay for heritage protection, and applies an interpretable machine learning model to analyze the causal relationship between value perception and willingness to pay, thereby providing a scientific basis for architectural heritage protection and utilization. According to the findings, tourists’ perceptions of the value of Kumbum Monastery are significantly differentiated, with a willingness to pay for the preservation of its architectural heritage ranging from RMB (China’s currency) 136 to RMB 203. The value perception of the architectural heritage of Kumbum Monastery has a non-linear and complex influence on the willingness of tourists to pay. Engineers responsible for heritage protection projects, heritage managers (government), and tourism development companies should establish a design system for architectural heritage protection and utilization based on value perception over time and introduce positive design, negative design, and zero design strategies as needed to enhance the willingness of tourists to pay for the protection of the architectural heritage of Kumbum Monastery.