LAUSR

Abstract Increasingly, residents in world heritage sites (WHS) are facing dilemmas by choosing between the short-term self-interests and long-term collective benefits associated with heritage tourism development. Through the lens of social dilemma theory, this study investigated the role of social emotions in affecting resident dilemma considerations related to supporting sustainable heritage tourism development. Employing a mixed-methods approach, 402 resident samples (Study 1) and 21 semi-structured interviews (Study 2) were conducted with five rounds of investigations in a cultural WHS, Kaiping Diaolou, China. Results found that residents’ support for sustainable heritage tourism were significantly influenced by their perceived collective efficacy and immediate outcomes. Residents’ positive social emotions evoked by WHS designation promote their cooperation by enhancing efficacy beliefs and emphasising current impacts. These findings extend the literature by recognizing emotional and dilemma factors in residents’ sustainable behaviours, which provides managerial implications to encourage public engagement in heritage protection.