Intangible cultural heritage inheritors’ survival craft: motivation dynamics and adaptive innovation in tourism

As custodians of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), inheritors sustain traditional crafts while responding to changing market and tourism conditions. However, how their motivations are internalized and translated into adaptive action remains insufficiently understood in the context of tourism and cultural industries. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this study employs grounded theory to analyze data from in-depth interviews with 16 handicraft ICH inheritors and practitioners recruited across multiple sites in Sichuan Province, China. A conceptual framework explains motivational composition and internalization of motivation and their roles in shaping adaptive behaviors in heritage preservation, market engagement, and cultural sustainability. The findings suggest that motivations were shaped by the interplay between external incentives, such as market demand and government support, and internal drivers, including personal passion, craftsmanship, identity, and cultural responsibility. Participants’ retrospective accounts of their experiences over the preceding years suggest that their motivations may shift from economic survival and external recognition toward stronger cultural commitment, adaptive innovation, and sustainable transmission. The study contributes to heritage tourism research by showing how ICH inheritors negotiate economic pressures, cultural responsibility, and professional identity in tourism and cultural industries. It also offers practical insights for supporting inheritors’ livelihoods, well-being, and cultural agency in sustainable heritage development.