Rural Tourism Destinations Research Articles

Exploring social media affordances in tourist destination image formation: A study on China’s rural tourism destination

This study investigates the effect of social media affordances (SMAs) on tourist destination image formation from the technology affordances lens, and measures the mediating role of social presence and parasocial interaction (PSI). Through both qualitative and quantitative approaches to the empirical examination of 1751 pieces of tourist data collected from a two-wave survey approach, this study finds that SMAs has a significant direct relationship with cognitive image and affective image. The results also suggest that PSI partially mediate the effect of SMAs on cognitive image and affective image, and cognitive image and affective image under the influence of SMAs lead to conative image formation. These substantial findings could offer valuable insights for destination marketers into the development and adoption of SMA strategies, with the objective of cultivating and promoting a positive image of their destination in the tourism market.

Resource Mobilization and Power Redistribution: The Role of Local Governments in Shaping Residents’ Pro-Environmental Behavior in Rural Tourism Destinations

This research investigates residents’ pro-environmental behavior from the unique perspective of government-resident interactions. Guided by social movement theory, how local governments regulate residents’ waste-sorting behavior in Chinese rural tourism destinations is assessed. This longitudinal study (lasting from 2016 to 2022) uses participant observation, in-depth interviews ( N = 25), and secondary data as the key research techniques. The dual roles of local governments (i.e., resource mobilization and power redistribution) jointly shape residents’ pro-environmental behavior in the waste-sorting campaign. Resource mobilization enhances knowledge of waste-sorting and raises individuals’ environmental consciousness. Power redistribution within groups activates social networks in rural communities and changes groups’ social capital to influence residents’ collective behavior. Results are discussed in relation to how the organizational-level resource mobilization and power redistribution influence the individual-level environmental psychological and sociological factors in shaping residents’ waste-sorting behavior. Practical recommendations are offered for sustainable tourism management from a social interaction perspective.

The pro-environmental behavioral intention of villagers in rural tourist destinations under China’s environmental remediation policy

This study examined villagers’ intention of pro-environmental behavior while supporting the Landcare Policy in China. The research team conducted field surveys of villagers from four famous scenic spots of Cili, which is near the world natural heritage site of the Zhangjiajie natural landscape core area. This area has developed rural tourism, many local villagers rely on tourism to obtain their livelihood income. However, the area is now affected by the environmental remediation policy called Landcare Policy. Cultivated land near the tourist area needs to be repaired, which affects the tourism income of some local villagers. Therefore, local villagers are facing a contradiction between tourism development and environmental protection. The study chose the change in local villagers’ pro-environmental intention as the research content. Then we adopted an empirically validated norm activation model (NAM) from Schwartz, and merged the NAM with the expectancy theory of Vroom, based on 511 valid responses from the field questionnaire surveys, we aimed to develop a theoretical framework for researchers to understand the change in villagers' pro-environmental behaviors, concerning the balance between rural tourism livelihood benefits and environmental remediation behavior. Structural equation modeling was conducted for each index of the responses, the findings showed that the merged model had 76.46% better predictive accuracy of villagers’ pro-environmental intentions than applying Schwartz’s NAM independently. This study found that the motivational force of this new theory significantly influences environmental personal norms due to the joint impact of valence, instrumentality, and expectancy. Villagers with a positive pro-environmental behavior intention expect good tourism benefits and environmental living conditions under the impact of the Landcare policy in rural tourism destinations near the famous natural heritage site.

Rural Tourism Through the Community Participation and Sustainable Development: An Empirical Study from Silk Route, East Sikkim

Abstract: Tourism destinations often are dependent on natural and cultural/heritage resources to form their attractions bases, which are linked to the economic vitality of local communities. Tourism industry can generate income and holistic development of a region. Rural tourism provides an economic incentive to the local people who are residing in these regions. It also adds an ethnic flavor to the consumer’s (tourist) taste. Silk Route in Sikkim is popularly known as ‘Silk Route” in Sikkim tourism map. It is one of the best rural tourist destinations of Sikkim. The silk route is very popular among the tourists. The landscape is beautiful and wonderfully thrilling. The lush greenery, panoramic view of hills and the simplicity of the indigenous inhabitants attracts the urban tourists to this place. The paper attempts an empirical presentation addressing the concept of rural tourism, which is an emerging perception on tourism introduced recently into the Indian tourism sector. This paper try to explore the potentiality as a rural tourist destination, and how such rural or Ecotourism can be an instrument to empower indigenous communities in a particular area and provide community development through economic and social benefits to the local communities for their well-being. This finding can be exemplified elsewhere as an approach on sustainable development of rural tourism through the community participation and management practiced at village level.

Smart Tourism Technologies, Revisit Intention, and Word-of-Mouth in Emerging and Smart Rural Destinations

This study examines the influence of the various attributes of smart tourism technologies (STTs) on tourists’ intentions to revisit locations and engage in word-of-mouth (WOM) activities regarding emerging and smart rural tourist destinations in Iran. A sample of 590 tourists who visited these destinations following the COVID-19 pandemic participated in the study. The findings reveal that three attributes of STTs, namely, informativeness, accessibility, and interactivity, positively contribute to tourists’ memorable experiences (ME). Furthermore, ME, satisfaction, and the willingness to engage in WOM recommendations are identified as predictors of tourists’ intention to revisit rural destinations. The study also reveals that user competence serves as a mediator between the attributes of STTs (informativeness, accessibility, and interactivity) and the tourists’ ME. Specifically, tourists with greater skills and knowledge of using STTs tend to have more memorable experiences in these emerging and smart rural destinations. The study discusses both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Strategies for Sustainable Rural Tourism Innovation: Evidence from Hanoi, Vietnam

Rural tourism is an important driving force for developing rural areas that often face many challenges regarding economics, society, and the environment. Innovation in sustainable rural tourism is the basis for enhancing regeneration in tourism, meeting the goals of sustainable development, satisfying the needs of tourists, and enhancing economic, social, and environmental efficiency for rural areas. The research provides an in-depth understanding of sustainable rural tourism innovation. Therefore, it contributes to a better understanding of sustainable rural tourism innovation, which has not been extensively studied by researchers. Furthermore, it provides a typical case study of rural tourism innovation in a central urban area of developing countries, contributing to a better understanding of innovation in rural tourism destinations in developing country urban areas. The research also provides managers and policy-makers with insights that can be considered when building and implementing future rural tourism destination innovation policies.

Sustainable Rural Tourism Practices From the Local Tourism Stakeholders' Perspectives

Purpose: The paper presents empirical evidence of sustainable practices adopted by rural tourism stakeholders. It explores the concept and meaning of sustainable practices and what motivates rural tourism stakeholders to adopt sustainable tourism practices as well as recommendations to enhance sustainable rural tourism practices. Design/methodology/approach: This paper describes an exploratory qualitative research project designed to investigate sustainable tourism practices of the rural tourism stakeholders. An inductive approach was adopted to address the research objectives. Specifically, this paper focuses on individuals' subjectivity and understanding of sustainable tourism practices in terms of meaning, motivations, and areas of improvement. The respondents' opinions were collected through semi-structured interviews. A total of 29 rural tourism operators participated in the data collection from the two rural tourism associations in Sabah, Malaysia. The data collection was held at Kota Marudu and Kuala Penyu from April to May 2022. Findings: The findings revealed that sustainable tourism practices relate to conservation and preservation, economic benefits, collaboration and protection, environmental impact, future growth, awareness, knowledge, and improvement. Interestingly, the meaning of sustainable tourism practices is strongly connected to the term “fairness”, to competitive products and quality attractions, and to meeting tourists' needs. This implies the meaning of sustainable tourism practices is not limited to economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts; it also relates to quality tourism products and the needs of tourists. Key drivers for sustainability practices include economic, social, environmental, and government support. Relevant approaches for improving sustainable rural tourism practices include greater participation and collaboration among rural tourism operators, conservation and preservation, destination uniqueness, long-term growth, and 3Rs practices (reduce, reuse, and recycle). Research limitations/implications: Findings implicate sustainable rural tourism destination management and the rural tourism stakeholders to adopt and enhance the sustainability of the rural sites and destination. It also extends the scope of existing literature on the meaning, motivation and sustainability practices of rural tourist destinations. Originality/value: This study focuses on the importance of sustainability in rural tourism in Sabah, Malaysia, an area on which limited empirical research has been done. The study provides an in-depth understanding of the meaning and drivers of sustainable practices from the rural tourism operators' perspectives. Additionally, it proposes sound strategies for sustainable rural tourism practices. Such practices and development are attributed to an individual's understanding of the concept of and motives for adopting sustainable development practices, government support, and core infrastructure. Finally, this study offers practical implications for sustainable development of rural tourism.

Empowering people with visual disabilities through rural tourism: the benefits of nature activities and how the various travel constraints can be overcome

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify the main constraints faced by people with visual disabilities (PwVD) when visiting a rural destination, as well as the benefits sought through their participation in rural tourism. Furthermore, this study also intends to identify the main strategies used by PwVD to overcome the barriers encountered in rural destinations. A triangulation of qualitative methods was used to collect and analyse data, comprising various online forums and blogs posts related to the tourism experiences of PwVD, together with fifteen semi-structured interviews conducted with Portuguese PwVD. The results reveal that PwVD find rural destinations compelling and that they look for sensorial stimuli in nature as a means for self-development and relaxation, while the lack of public transport and accessible information dissuades PwVD from seeking rural tourism experiences. These constraints are often overcome with the use of various smartphone apps, the aid of travel companions, or the help of residents. Based on the results obtained in this study, a set of guidelines is proposed to improve the level of accessibility of rural tourism destinations, contributing to the empowerment of PwVD.

ENTREPRENEURIAL ELEMENTS IN RURAL TOURISM - FINDINGS FROM PLS-SEM

The aim of this paper is to determine the interrelationship between innovation, proactivity and risk-taking, as a dimension of entrepreneurial orientation and their connection with relational capital, in order to indicate the entrepreneurial behavior that gives the best results for the development of sustainable rural tourism. The research was conducted on the basis of questionnaires collected on the territory of the Republic of Serbia during the year 2022. The data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM method. The results show a positive relationship between proactivity and innovation, between relational capital and innovation, and proactivity and relational capital, while a positive relationship between risktaking and innovation and risk-taking and relational capital was not confirmed. Results provide important elements for making decisions about innovation and competitiveness of rural tourism destinations.

From Theory to Practice: Cultural Sustainability Criteria in Post-COVID 19 Rural Tourist Destinations

From Theory to Practice: Cultural Sustainability Criteria in Post-COVID 19 Rural Tourist Destinations

Leisure Agriculture and Rural Tourism Benefit Analysis on Eco-Environmental Resource Use

In recent years, particularly, the expansion of tourism has become more and more prosperous, and along with it, the impact on the natural environment has become greater and greater. As a result of the continuous development of the economy, human activity is having a greater impact on the natural environment and agricultural depth. The desire to feel more connected to nature and life is leading an increasing number of people to relocate to more rural areas. Because of this, the management and preparation of rural tourism destinations are of utmost significance. This paper presents a study on the analysis of the benefits of the use of ecological and environmental resources driven by the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism. The study was carried out by the Environmental Economics and Policy Group (EEPG). The primary purpose of this study is to conduct an analysis of the benefits of agroecological environment and resource use in Jilin Province in accordance with the evaluation system of resource and environmental benefits of leisure agriculture. This evaluation will be combined with an analysis of the current situation of resource use and will be based on the principle of net social benefits of resource and environmental supply. The results of the experiments show that the coupling degree of the agricultural economic system in Jilin Province from 2015 to 2021 is greater than 0.9, which places it in the category of high-quality coupling (0.9 ≤ C ≤ 1). The degree of synergy ranges from 0.54608 to 0.78358 and exhibits an upward trend, but it remains in the medium synergy stage (0.50 ≤ D ≤ 8). This paper carries out relevant research on ecological and environmental resource use, which is of great practical significance in promoting the rational use of leisure agricultural resources, and, ultimately, the long-term sustainable development of leisure agriculture. In addition, the paper presents an analysis of the benefits of ecological and environmental resource use promoted by the development of leisure agriculture and rural tourism.

The projected image of idyllic life and its construction

ABSTRACT Idyllic life is a crucial scenario in digital media marketing and virtual tourism. It is an idealized image of rural life that greatly influences tourists’ choice of rural destinations. However, this image tends to lack an Oriental cultural perspective. Through a discourse analysis of Chinese newspapers and WeChat articles, six dimensions of the projected image of idyllic life were identified and their relationships were constructed. In addition, kinaesthesia and atmospheric sense were explored to enrich sensory marketing theory. The study provides support for rural tourism destination marketing. It also reveals that visions of the idyllic life are common between the East and the West, suggesting cultural commonality. The collective unconscious image of idyllic life also complements the image of a rural tourism destination.

Agritourism experience value cocreation impact on the brand equity of rural tourism destinations in China

PropositusLa cocreación se ha convertido en una forma importante de mejorar el valor de marca de un destino turístico. A diferencia de los entornos turísticos comunes, el agroturismo tiene fuertes características participativas y productivas, y se considera una plataforma indispensable de cocreación de valor. Este artículo explora la relación entre la cocreación de valor de la experiencia de agroturismo y el valor de marca de los destinos de turismo rural desde la perspectiva de los turistas.Diseño/metodología/métodoSe realizó una encuesta y se recogieron 602 cuestionarios válidos mediante un muestreo aleatorioa en 2021. Se utilizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para analizar empíricamente los datos.ResultadosLos resultados revelaron que la participación e interacción de los turistas y los comportamientos de la ciudadanía juegan un papel crítico en el valor de marca de destinos de turismo rural. La interacción de los turistas y los comportamientos de la ciudadanía impactaron el valor de marca de destinos de turismo rural a través del disfrute hedónico, la experiencia eudaimonia y el valor percibido de la experiencia. El comportamiento de participación de los turistas influyó en el valor de marca de los destinos de turismo rural a través de la experiencia hedónica de disfrute y el valor percibido de la experiencia.Originalidad/valorEste estudio, centrado en el agroturismo como plataforma importante para la cocreación de valor, explora el impacto de la cocreación de valor de la experiencia de agroturismo en el valor de marca de destinos de turismo rural desde la perspectiva de los turistas. Enriquece la literatura existente sobre la relación entre la cocreación de valor y el valor de marca de los destinos turisticos, expande la investigación sobre la cocreación de valor y la experiencia de felicidad, y ofrece también bases de gestión para promover el valor de marca de destinos de turismo rural.

A measurement of rural tourism destinations’ competitiveness

"The trend of rural tourism is growing and is becoming increasingly significant for most nations. Rural tourism is believed to have the potential to revive traditional approaches and perspectives on tourism and provide new dimensions to sustainable growth. Romania is regarded as one of the main destinations with a high potential in sustainable tourism development, due to its beautiful, unspoiled rural landscapes, traditions, and rustic lifestyle. Tourism, as a development tool, in rural communities, is one of the major concerns. The scarcity of case studies on rural tourist competitiveness, particularly in Romania, is what inspired the current research. This study attempts to investigate the factors that impact Romania’s rural tourism’s competitiveness and develop a conceptual framework for measuring it. In conducting our research, there were employed both exploratory and descriptive approaches. Secondary data from statistical and published research and studies were gathered, and it were collected primary data through surveys and personal interviews. The objective of the current research was to introduce a distinct and exclusive method of evaluating tourism in rather small regions with unique characteristics and applied and test the proposed model to Maramures region. The paper concludes that measuring and understanding rural tourism competitiveness and dynamics is essential for supporting sustainable development in rural areas, and it is of great importance for practitioners, policy makers and researchers. Keywords: tourism competitiveness, rural destination competitiveness model, rural tourism, rural destinations JEL classification: L83, M31."

Rural Tourism Under Apartheid South Africa: The Case of Transkei

Rural tourism scholarship has greatly expanded over the past two decades. One aspect of rural tourism that is undeveloped in literature is the historical evolution of rural tourism destinations. This paper uses an historical approach and archival documentary sources to examine the evolution of rural tourism under apartheid in one of the former Bantustans of South Africa, namely Transkei. It is shown tourism became a sector of policy interest because of disappointments associated with national government programmes for industrial decentralization. Early tourism promotion centred on leisure tourism around the natural beauty and attractions of Transkei’s coastal areas. With the grant of ‘independence’, however, a new institutional environment emerged which resulted in the Transkei becoming a focus for casino tourism at a time when casino gambling was prohibited in South Africa. The growth of casino tourism was, however, linked to corruption which occurred between South African tourism capital and the leadership of this Bantustan.

Research on the Co-creation Mechanism and Realization Path of Social Capital Participating in Rural Tourism Farmers' Value from The Perspective of Common Prosperity

In this paper, farmers in tourist destinations are taken as an example to study the co-creation mechanism of social capital and rural farmers' value under the background of common prosperity. Through the case study and contribution study of the value co-creation mechanism of the consortium, this paper establishes the value co-creation mechanism of farmers in rural tourist destinations with social capital as a universal model, and verifies the accuracy and fitting precision of the model with existing cases. Taking the leading enterprises, the support of government policies, tourism and agricultural products as variables, this paper studies their impact on rural economic income as a whole. Through model research, this paper solves the problems of market mechanism disorder and unfair distribution in the three distributions of common prosperity, and combines the concept of rural tourism development and value co-creation. The research results are universal, providing a reference model for social capital to participate in the development of value co-creation of farmers in tourist destinations, and providing new ideas and ideas for farmers in tourist destinations to achieve common prosperity.

Force of nature

In one way or another, tourism often sits at the heart of place branding. Transformations of tourism induced by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have led to shifts in tourist demand and target markets, thus provoking changes in tourist place branding. In this article, I explore these changes from a sociolinguistic point of view by examining the ways in which a rural tourist destination in Alsace (France) mobilises language and discourse to adapt its tourist place branding strategy in response to rising demand for nature tourism. First, using data gathered during ethnographic fieldwork undertaken following the easing of lockdown restrictions, I show how ‘nature’ is positioned as a central trope in defining the essential characteristics of the destination, its population, and the activities that can be undertaken there. Second, I look at how this positioning contributes to the elaboration of a coherent destination brand whilst also shaping tourist experiences and thus tourist, geographical, and spatial imaginaries. Finally, I explore the dynamics of commodification that underpin this foregrounding of nature in the (re)framing of people and place.

Study on the Destination Image Improvement of Guangxi Rural Tourism

Rural tourism has become an important part of tourism. Rural tourism in China is developing rapidly, the development of rural tourism in Guangxi has also reached its peak. The number of rural tourism scenic spots in Guangxi has also skyrocketed, and the competition among rural tourism destinations is becoming more and more fierce. Shaping and improving destination image is an important means to enhance the competitiveness of tourist destination. A good image can not only distinguish a destination from its competitors, but also attract tourists and improve its performance. Therefore, it is of great significance study the image enhancement path of Guangxi rural tourism destination for the development of Guangxi rural tourism.

Land acquisition in rural tourism destinations: How social relations influence cooperative behaviours?

AbstractLand acquisition is becoming prevalent in most rural destinations. This study investigates the dynamic interaction process between rural residents regarding tourism‐led land acquisition and analyses how social relations influence cooperative behaviours by using social network analysis. The findings suggest that informal social relations between rural residents transmit influence and information, generating significantly positive impacts on individuals' land acquisition decisions. The multiple regression‐quadratic assignment procedure results further show that residential ties and political ties positively relate to the second land acquisition decision and that dynamic changes in formal political relations significantly facilitate the cooperative behaviour of rural residents. Our study suggests that building diverse social linkages between local governments and rural residents is conducive to promoting cooperation, shedding light on rural cooperative behaviours and sustainable tourism development.

Digital Marketing’s Impact on Rural Destinations’ Image, Intention to Visit, and Destination Sustainability

The relevance of the tourism industry to the overall sustainability of rural territories grows along with the demand for rural tourism destinations. Likewise, as the digital transition of rural tour operators takes place, their marketing initiatives also evolve towards a digital nature, which is why it is crucial to comprehend how the overall calibre of these activities might affect the perception of rural places, while also motivating tourists’ travel intentions and, as a result, promoting the general sustainability of the destination. Thus, in this paper, we propose a novel conceptual model based on Delone and McLean’s representative model of Information Systems Success Model, on Tan and Wu’s arguments on tourism destinations’ image relationship with tourists’ visit intentions, and also on Verma’s tourism destination brand equity concept. To validate the proposed model, an online focus group was developed involving several specialists whose opinions and perspectives corroborated the potential adequacy of the proposed artefact and, consequently, assumed its contribution and value. From this validation process, it was possible to highlight that digital marketing initiatives’ overall quality influences both rural destinations’ image and tourists’ intention to visit these territories, that a positive image will trigger tourists’ visit behaviour, and that these behaviours represent a valuable asset to rural destinations’ global sustainability.