Risk decision-making behavior in heritage tourism destinations based on eye-tracking experiments in Gulangyu, China

A groundbreaking study on Gulangyu, China—a UNESCO-listed heritage site—reveals critical insights into how individuals perceive and respond to risks in complex urban environments. Researchers found that people with stronger spatial orientation exhibit fewer hesitation behaviors during emergencies and maintain more stable heart rates, suggesting a link between cognitive ability and physiological resilience. The analysis also identified that buildings and signage are the most influential visual elements guiding decision-making, while vegetation and the sky play key roles in environmental observation. Unlike traditional studies, this research integrates eye-tracking technology with deep learning to quantify street view images, providing a novel 'P-P-P' framework (psychological cognition, physical space quantification, physiological response). These findings offer practical implications for enhancing disaster preparedness, tourist safety, and emergency response efficiency in heritage tourism destinations.

Du, Y., Li, Y., Yang, M., Wang, Y., Bai, H., & Huang, J. (2026). Risk decision-making behavior in heritage tourism destinations based on eye-tracking experiments in Gulangyu, China. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06869-x