Environment Change and Sustainable Livelihoods in Ethnic Villages Tourism Development of China

Abstract

The rapid development of ethnic tourism in China has led to changes in the social and economic environment and local livelihood strategies. This study aims to illustrate the environmental changes and the effects of livelihood strategies in ethnic tourism development. Based on the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA), this study proposed the Sustainable Tourism Livelihood Framework (STLF) and designed the indicator system. The Jinglai ethnic tourism village case study showed the changing process and comparison of livelihood capitals with different livelihood strategies. The study found that the number of Tourism-based Strategies (TBS)and Tourism Strategies (TS) families increases, and the TS livelihood capital is the highest, and the Highly Participation Degree (HPD) family’s capital is also higher. Meanwhile, family members have intergenerational differences in livelihood strategies. Finally, the suggestions about tourism community governance, such as environmental governance, knowledge training, and sustainable assessment, were proposed.