HERITAGE TOURISM AND EMOTIONAL TRANSFORMATION: DEVELOPING A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FROM THE CASE OF CON DAO, VIETNAM

Heritage tourism has increasingly attracted scholarly attention due to its potential to connect visitors with historical memory, cultural identity, and collective experiences of the past. While existing studies have examined the economic and cultural dimensions of heritage tourism, limited attention has been paid to the role of heritage sites in shaping visitors’ emotional and spiritual transformation. This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework explaining how heritage tourism experiences may contribute to emotional engagement and spiritual transformation among tourists. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from heritage studies, tourism experience theory, and memory studies, this research synthesizes key theoretical insights to examine the relationship between heritage interpretation, emotional responses, and transformative visitor experiences. The case of Con Dao, Vietnam, a historically significant site associated with colonial imprisonment and revolutionary struggle, is used as an illustrative context for exploring these dynamics. Con Dao represents a symbolic heritage landscape where historical narratives, memorial rituals, and cultural meanings interact to create powerful emotional experiences for visitors. Based on a comprehensive review of relevant literature, this paper proposes a theoretical framework linking heritage site attributes, interpretive practices, emotional engagement, collective memory activation, and spiritual transformation. The study contributes to heritage tourism research by integrating emotional and transformative perspectives into the analysis of heritage experiences. It also provides conceptual insights for tourism planners and heritage managers seeking to design meaningful visitor experiences that foster historical awareness, emotional connection, and cultural reflection.