Abstract
The growing interest in ruralism among Chinese people has been observed as China’s population in urban areas has exceeded its rural population. Rural tourism has become one of the leading tourism sectors in China, in large part because many of China’s popular tourist attractions are surrounded by rural communities. This study identified 12 dimensions of tourist-perceived quality. In addition, perceived value and satisfaction were used as mediators to explain the relationships between perceived quality and three dimensions of behavioral intentions (i.e., revisitation intention, positive word-of-mouth, and willingness to pay for special rural products). Furthermore, the moderating impact of urban versus rural residence was tested. A total sample of 495 was used for data analysis. Four tourist-perceived quality dimensions (i.e., tourism infrastructure and transportation, hospitality and learning, handicrafts and culture, and rural environment) were found. The results of this study demonstrated the empirical evidence of the relationship between perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. Finally, the results showed a moderating effect. The findings of this study can contribute to increasing various behavioral intentions and sustainable rural tourism in China.
Highlights
China has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization in recent decades [1,2]
Li Ziqi’s content describing her rural lifestyle and daily activities illustrates the interest in ruralism among urban residents and the growth in rural tourism demand
Other studies only focus on the service quality at rural tourism destinations [23,36]. This present study aims to comprehensively measure the rural tourism experience among Chinese domestic travelers, similar to the general destination competitiveness studies, in which destination attributes are categorized into broader groups
Summary
China has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization in recent decades [1,2]. The rural villages and communities have recently taken a new role in modern China They have become popular weekend getaways and tourist destinations for urban families [2,10]. Studies of the rural tourism experience in other countries provided a basis to develop the conceptual background for this present research. This present study focuses on domestic Chinese rural tourists and their behavioral intentions in rural areas in China. The present study aims to examine Chinese rural tourists’ perceived quality and their loyalty intentions. The conceptual model includes tourist-perceived quality, tourist-perceived value, tourist satisfaction, revisitation intention, positive word-of-mouth intention, and willingness to pay for special rural products. The multi-group invariance is conducted to test the moderating impact between urban and rural residents using the study model
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