Developing and Validating a Scale of Tourism Gentrification in Rural Areas

Abstract

In recent years, tourism gentrification has made great progress in rural areas and has had significant impacts on these areas’ development, specifically in the domains of the economy, living standards, community, culture, and environment. Tourists play a key role in developing tourism gentrification in rural areas, but research investigating tourism gentrification in rural areas from the tourist perspective is scarce. To fill this gap, we focus on tourism gentrification and develop a measurement scale from the tourist perspective through multiple qualitative and quantitative steps. Our findings confirm that tourism gentrification in rural areas from the tourist perspective comprises eight dimensions: economic growth, enhanced environment, enhanced living standards, individual civilization, improved communication, promoted social environment, cultural appreciation, and improved individual quality. Through development and validation of the scale, we hope to offer a comprehensive referencing index of tourism gentrification in rural areas to policy makers and rural tourism practitioners.