Factors influencing tourists’ perceptions of cultural heritage branding

Cultural heritage branding is crucial for shaping tourists’ perceptions and promoting sustainable tourism development. This study investigates the relationship between tourists’ perceptions of Biñan City’s cultural heritage branding, with a focus on awareness, satisfaction, and demographic characteristics. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design, data were collected from 150 tourists through a self-constructed questionnaire. The results show that most visitors were female (60.7%), aged 26–41 years (69.3%) and employed (80.7%). Correlation analyses reveal strong positive relationships between tourists’ awareness and perception (r = 0.721, p < 0.001) and between satisfaction and perception (r = 0.724, p < 0.001), underscoring the importance of both factors in their association with favorable evaluations of the destination. Demographic variables such as age and gender did not significantly differentiate tourists’ awareness, satisfaction, or perception; however, professional status was associated with a significant difference in awareness (F(4,145) =2.978, p=0.021, η²= 0.076). No significant differences were found in satisfaction or perception across professional-status groups. The significant awareness finding should be interpreted cautiously because the retired and student groups each compromised only three respondents. These findings highlight the strong associations of awareness and satisfaction with tourists’ perceptions and suggest that targeted promotional strategies and high-quality cultural experiences may be valuable considerations for effective heritage branding. This study contributes empirical evidence relevant to sustainable tourism practices and the preservation of Biñan’s cultural identity.