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Rural tourism development in China
Author(s) -
Gao Shunli,
Huang Songshan,
Huang Yucheng
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.712
Subject(s) - tourism , rural tourism , china , rurality , economic growth , modernization theory , tourism geography , poverty , sustainability , rural economics , government (linguistics) , business , scale (ratio) , rural area , rural development , economics , political science , geography , agriculture , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , cartography , archaeology , law , biology
This paper provides an overview and brief evaluation of China's rural tourism. Beginning with the form of poverty alleviation through tourism , China's rural tourism has undergone over 20 years of development and exhibited some unique features in its development pattern, scale and business operational models in accordance with China's political, social and economic systems. Government plays a decisive role in developing rural tourism in China. However, rural tourism has been valued mainly as an economic means for rural development during the country's modernisation process. Overlooking rurality as an essential issue in rural tourism may lead development to a wrong direction, which could jeopardise the sustainability of the industry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.