Frequent disasters and crises in recent years not only threaten the safety of human life and property, but also directly or indirectly influence the conservation of world heritage and the sustainable livelihoods of tourism communities. Taking the Sustainable Livelihood Framework promoted by the UK’s Department for International Development as a refernce, this paper explores the components and interactive mechanism of livelihood sustainability of tourism communities living at heritage sites. Taking post-earthquake Tibetan communities inside Jiuzhaigou World Natural Heritage Site as an example, this study finds that livelihood intentions are the endogenous power influencing residents’ choice of livelihood strategy. As an important part of livelihood capital, cultural capital can enhance the resilience of community livelihood, alleviate the discomfort caused by shocks and externalize it into livelihood strategies. The research findings suggest that one of the main means of realizing the sustainable development of tourism communities in this particular site Jiuzhaigou is to promote its unique Tibetan cultural resources.