Revisitamos Dapitan : the Shrine City center of culture and tourism through mutualistic architecture ; an application of the study on the tourist's and visitors' perceived experiential quality vis-a-vis quality of cultural heritage of Rizal Shrine and park, Dapitan City, Zamboanga Del Norte

Abstract

Heritage buildings and sites as a tangible form of cultural heritage have been gaining popularity in the tourism industry. Many cities across the globe have embraced Architectural heritage conservation and provided support for renovation and reuse as a form of sustainable tourism which generates countless economic, social, and environmental benefits, nevertheless, conservation and preservation of historic Centers, despite being central in urban developments, remain a challenging and complex point of concern. The City of Dapitan, rife with heritage resources, including the Rizal memorial shrine and park, is no excuse for the threat of negligent practices and potential lack of attention to heritage conservation and management. This paper explores the importance of built architectural heritage at a city-wide level and its implications for local tourism. Essentially, it attempts to unravel the nature of the visitors' and tourists' quality of perceived experience relative to their view on the quality of the cultural heritage site. A quantitative method of research will be utilized specifically through descriptive and correlational analyses. The findings revealed a significant relationship between the visitors and tourists' perceived experience quality and perceived cultural heritage of the site. Further analysis revealed that the overall experience is good, where location, social factors, convenience, and information were rated to have barely contributed to a very good visitation experience. Finally, results on the overall perceived quality of cultural heritage sites were acceptable where the only access was rated as good; thus, this suggests that a major point for improvement and development is needed.