Bridging a socially extended view of construal level theory with heritage tourism: navigating the role of heritage proximity

While Construal Level Theory (CLT) has been applied in tourism research, its social dimension remains underexplored, particularly regarding how tourist–resident encounters make heritage feel psychologically closer and more self-relevant. Grounded in CLT, this study employs a sequential mixed-methods design to examine how social contact contributes to heritage-specific psychological proximity and subsequent tourist responses in the Dujiangyan Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China. Semi-structured interviews identified perceptual and emotional mechanisms, followed by a large-scale survey to test the hypothesized relationships. Results show that social contact enhances heritage perceptual proximity and tourist heritage identification, which in turn promotes experiential satisfaction and responsible behavior. The study specifies a CLT-anchored social-distance-to-proximity mechanism, showing how socially embedded encounters render heritage psychologically closer and foster identity-based incorporation. Practically, contact-based programs can function as scalable demand-side stewardship that complements formal regulation for long-term heritage protection.