Cultural Sustainability

The transmission of cultural knowledge plays a pivotal role in preserving cultural identity and promoting the sustainable development of heritage tourism. However, this form of knowledge is primarily tacit and transferred informally across generations, which makes its preservation increasingly challenging, particularly in light of the sudden retirement of experienced experts and the consequent loss of invaluable expertise. This study examines phased retirement as an innovative managerial strategy to facilitate cultural knowledge transfer. Grounded in Nonaka and Takeuchi’s SECI model, which conceptualises knowledge transfer through the stages of socialisation, externalisation, combination, and internalisation, the research employed a descriptive-analytical design using document analysis, field investigations, and a researcher-designed questionnaire. A total of 220 tourism industry professionals participated, and data were analysed with SPSS and Smart PLS, employing AVE, Fornell-Larcker, factor loadings, Cronbach’s alpha, and structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that phased retirement enhances cultural knowledge transfer by fostering intergenerational interaction, facilitating documentation, and strengthening the competencies of younger employees. The study recommends that tourism managers and policymakers adopt phased retirement strategies to improve cultural sustainability and enhance the quality of heritage tourism services.