Tourism and the (re)making of rural places: The cases of two Chinese villages

• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100910
• Publication Date: 2021-11-01T17:00:40Z
• Authors: Lingxu Zhou; Geoffrey Wall; Dapeng Zhang; Xiaoyun Cheng
• Keywords: Rurality; Rural Tourism; Place Attachment; Sense of Place; Capital (architecture); Making-of

Abstract Tourism is a major force in rural place-making and is widely adopted to maintain and revitalize rurality in times of economic uncertainty. A mixed methods approach is used to examine and compare place-making experiences of two villages in central China from the perspective of social capital Interviews, observations and household surveys are used to identify the place-making processes, experiences, and outcomes. Rural tourism place-making in both villages follow proposal, negotiation, implementation and maintenance stages. A clear tourism orientation in place-making processes and involvement of external partners brought higher economic benefits for residents but a lower sense of ownership. The social capital of the two villages resulted in variations in place-making styles and processes, and influenced rurality outcomes. Practical suggestions for the planning and management of rural destinations are offered.