EN中文

Journal of Resources and Ecology >

2025 , Vol. 16 >Issue 6: 1914 - 1925

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2025.06.028

Ecotourism

The Level of Tourism Participation and Influencing Factors of Community Residents in Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site

  • HU Jiran ,
  • YAO Juan , *
Expand
  • School of Economics and Management, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
* YAO Juan, E-mail:

HU Jiran, E-mail:

Received date: 2024-07-24

  Accepted date: 2025-03-31

  Online published: 2025-11-28

Supported by

The National Natural Science Foundation of China(41961046)

The High-level Talent Research Cultivation Program of Xinjiang Agricultural University(2525GCCRC)

Fold

Abstract

The involvement of community residents in ecotourism plays a crucial role in the conservation-driven development and utilization of natural world heritage sites. Enhancing the level of their participation is a key driver for the sustainable development of ecotourism within these sites. This study constructs a theoretical framework for evaluating the participation of community residents in tourism, grounded in expectation theory and feasibility theory. Using a micro-survey of herders in the Kalajun heritage site, this study employs Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to assess the participation levels and tests demographic differences using the non-parametric independent samples test. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression model is developed to quantitatively analyze the impact of individual demographic characteristics on the level of tourism participation among community residents. The results indicate that: (1) The perceived value of participation is lower than the expected value, with a low level of actual participation, reflecting a gap between the residents’ actual experiences and their expectations; (2) Education level, number of laborers in the household, and family disposable income significantly positively influence the tourism participation level, with middle and old age negatively affecting participation. Gender and the role of village representatives, however, do not significantly impact participation levels.

Key words： ecotourism; community residents; tourism participation level; Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site

Cite this article

HU Jiran , YAO Juan . The Level of Tourism Participation and Influencing Factors of Community Residents in Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2025 , 16(6) : 1914 -1925 . DOI: 10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2025.06.028

1 Introduction

The conservation and development of natural World Heritage sites is crucial to promoting a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature (Len and Ma, 2009). Communities, as integral parts of the value of these sites, have a fundamental responsibility to participate in their conservation and utilization (Zhang, 2021). Community involvement is key to effective heritage conservation (Wang et al., 2016). Ecotourism, offering both ecological and economic benefits (Li and Kuang, 2019), has become a viable option for the development of heritage sites. Community participation in tourism is a mutually beneficial necessity for both heritage sites and local communities (Wang et al., 2020b). Furthermore, it is essential for ensuring the sustainable development of ecotourism zones (Xiang and Zeng, 2017; Yang et al., 2020). Thus, promoting community participation has become a central concern for tourism scholars and practitioners. Community residents are at the core of heritage tourism development (Wang et al., 2020c), and their perceptions, attitudes, and levels of participation in the tourism process are of significant importance (Feng et al., 2015; Sun and Jia, 2020). Governments should respect the preferences of local residents while enhancing the protection of local traditions when making tourism decisions, while tourism enterprises must actively involve residents in the development process (Wang and Xie, 2020). On the one hand, household income in these communities often derives from tourism-related activities (Andereck and Nyaupane, 2016), and residents tend to be satisfied when the economic benefits outweigh the negative impacts (Jackson, 2008). Tourism empowerment and community support contribute to the sustainable and stable development of tourism (Fan and Cheng, 2020; Zhang, 2020). On the other hand, the perceived participation also depends on their self-development capacity, which refers to residents’ ability to understand and respond to development needs in a sustainable manner (Zhao and Ba, 2009); that is, residents’ capacity determines the level and content of their participation in tourism. This capacity, which includes the knowledge, skills, and social resources acquired through education and experience (Wang, 2019), plays a significant role in determining the extent and quantity of residents’ participation in tourism. Whether community residents engage in tourism is a key factor in realizing the social benefits of tourism (Li et al., 2018). Addressing the issue hinges on enhancing community participation in ecotourism. Many studies have examined community participation in tourism, with some proposing composite indices to measure it in the process of cross-border tourism development (Stacchini et al., 2024), while others have employed qualitative approaches, such as focus group discussion (FGD), Likert scale analysis, and importance- performance analysis (IPA) to assess participation and its benefits for sustainable rural tourism (Putra and Ariana, 2023). However, a major challenge in the practical implementation of ecotourism is the lack of participation capacity among community residents (Hu and Wang, 2012). This can lead to frustration and a phenomenon of relative poverty when livelihood transformations are not well integrated into the broader development process (Nie and Sun, 2017). Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved participation among community residents to meet the demands for high-quality tourism development. Tourism empowerment and community involvement are crucial for balancing local interests and promoting sustainable tourism (Tong et al., 2024). Community empowerment, a crucial concept in residents’ capacity building, has been explored from multiple dimensions. Sun (2008) discusses the path of community tourism participation capacity building from four aspects, namely economic, psychological, community, and political empowerment, under the basic framework of empowerment theory. Amartya Sen’s “viability-poverty” theory, proposed in the 1990s, suggests that poverty is not merely a condition of low income but a loss of basic “viability” (Amartya, 2012). The academic consensus is that improving individuals’ viability is a kind of power (Qu et al., 2018). The improvement of an individual’s viability, essentially their capacity, through participation in entrepreneurship (Yu and Xia, 2017), community empowerment (Xu and Gong, 2015), and organizing skills training can enhance human capital (Xu and Li, 2019; Zhai et al., 2019). Related studies have also identified that the challenges to community participation in tourism are influenced not only by external factors but also by internal limitations (Liu and Ming, 2012). Gohori and Vander (2022) and Chan et al. (2021) both identified a lack of tourism knowledge and limited financial resources as significant barriers to community involvement in ecotourism. Only through a comprehensive evaluation of community participation levels and the identification of underlying challenges can appropriate solutions be devised.
While the importance of community participation in ecotourism is widely recognized, few studies have focused on the psychological and experiential perspectives of community residents, particularly those in frontier ethnic minority pastoral areas. Kalajun grassland, a world natural heritage site, also serves as a summer pasture for local herders. In promoting the revitalization and development of pastoral areas in heritage sites, it is essential to balance conservation with development. Achieving harmonious coexistence between humans and nature has become a core objective for the green development of heritage sites (Liang and Xie, 2019). This study, therefore, focuses on the community residents of the Kalajun heritage site as the research object, constructing a theoretical framework based on the “expectation-perception” difference to evaluate the level of tourism participation. Using a multiple linear regression model, this study quantitatively analyzes the impact of individual demographic differences on participation levels, aiming to provide solutions for enhancing community involvement in tourism. The findings are intended to offer insights into the sustainable development of tourism in World Natural Heritage Sites, including Kalajun.
The marginal innovations of this study are twofold: First, it uses micro-level field research data from ethnic minority pastoral areas to analyze the tourism participation level of community residents in World Natural Heritage sites, shedding light on their challenges in tourism management. This provides valuable case studies for community participation in such contexts. Second, it introduces both Expectation Theory and Feasibility-Poverty Theory into the same theoretical analysis framework, establishing a novel approach for examining community residents’ tourism participation.

2 Theoretical analysis and framework
construction

Expectancy theory, also known as the “means-expectancy theory,” was introduced by renowned North American psychologist and behavioral scientist Victor Vroom in 1964. The theory explores individual psychological and behavioral changes, primarily aimed at motivating employees in the workplace. Vroom proposed that the relationship between expectations and reality involves three possibilities: expectation is less than reality, expectation is more than reality, and expectation is equal to reality. These three situations lead to different impacts on human motivation. In 1980, Oliver adopted the theory of “Expectation Confirmation” to study consumer satisfaction (Oliver, 1980), which was later applied to areas such as graduate employment (Wang and Wang, 2016), basic education (Tian et al., 2016), library services (Wang, 2018) and user experience (Wang et al., 2020a). As the most basic producers in the communities of World Natural Heritage sites, herders have long relied on livestock production as their primary livelihood. The introduction of tourism as a new economic activity triggers a dynamic process of change in their attitudes and behaviors. Understanding herders’ expectations and perceptions regarding their participation in tourism is crucial for unraveling the psychological transformation they undergo and providing a basis for the government to formulate effective incentives for participation.
Amartya Sen’s “viability-poverty” theory views viability as a right to freedom, referring to the combination of functional activities people have the potential to achieve. Viability allows individuals to face life’s difficulties positively, whereas the lack of viability makes it difficult for individuals to adapt to new livelihoods. This theory contributed significantly to global poverty alleviation efforts, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) introduced the concept of “capability poverty” in its 1990 Human Development Report. Since then, the connotation of poverty has expanded beyond mere economic income to include human capacity for self-development, focusing on the ability to achieve a sustainable livelihood in consolidating the results of poverty eradication. In remote ethnic minority pastoral areas where poverty alleviation and rural revitalization efforts are crucial, the herders’ self-development capacity is the core challenge. The lack of labor skills among herders has become a major barrier to transforming their livelihoods (Lu, 2016). In the context of ecotourism development in the Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site, while community residents have chosen tourism in line with current economic and industrial development trends, their insufficient tourism participation skills complicate the transition to this new livelihood. Therefore, improving the community’s capacity to participate in tourism and enhancing its endogenous development potential are essential measures for achieving sustainable livelihoods.
“Expectation” refers to the desire of community members to reconcile the contradiction between their psychological state and the actual environment (Zheng, 2013). In the context of tourism participation, it reflects the residents’ psychological expectations. “Perception”, on the other hand, refers to the direct reaction of community residents to objective tourism environments. The “expectation-perception” gap measures the discrepancy between emotional expectations and actual satisfaction levels, serving as an abstract and subjective interpretation of residents’ emotional responses to tourism participation. Tourism policy guidance and support are fundamental to fostering community participation in tourism. The introduction of tourism policies provides residents with diverse ways to engage in tourism and enables them to choose an appropriate development model based on their circumstances. Effective participation is achieved when residents fully understand and apply their policies. The establishment and success of tourism cooperatives depend on the combined effect of policy guidance and residents’ participation needs. The degree to which herders adapt to tourism cooperatives directly influences the effectiveness of tourism operations. In this context, these operations serve as the point of application for both policy and cooperative adaptation by applying tourism policies and adapting them to the organizational form of a tourism cooperative; the ultimate goal for herders is to better manage tourism operations, thus improving their income and wealth.
This study focuses on the community residents of the Kalajun World Natural Heritage site, analyzing their ‘expectation-perception’ level regarding the application of tourism policies, adaptation to tourism cooperatives, and comprehensive tourism management. By exploring the intrinsic challenges to tourism engagement, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of herders’ perceptions and psychological changes regarding tourism. Based on the research of Liu and Ming (2012), this study suggested that community participation in tourism is affected by individual and family characteristics, including age, gender, village representation, household labor force, education level, and household disposable income, which significantly influence residents’ tourism participation. Utilizing the ‘Means of Effectiveness-Expectation Theory,’ this study categorizes expectation-perception differences into three levels (Zhao, 2009), which form a framework for assessing community residents’ tourism participation ability, as shown in Figure 1:
(1) Positive difference (Exceeding expectations): In this case, the perceived value exceeds expectations, indicating a high level of individual tourism participation. Overall, these residents tend to have strong self-development abilities, are highly satisfied with their livelihood situation, and can effectively transition from pastoralism to tourism operators. Community tourism capacity should focus on cultivating “leaders” and exemplary “elite” tourism operators who inspire others to participate in tourism and stimulate the confidence in herders who have a wait-and-see attitude towards tourism operations.
(2) No difference (Fulfilling expectations): Here, the perceived value matches expectations, reflecting a moderating level of tourism participation. Community residents with mediocre self-development ability are generally satisfied with their current livelihoods and have completed the transformation to tourism-related activities but may struggle with handling unexpected risks. Tourism capacity-building efforts should focus on developing residents’ resilience to risks and incentivizing continued engagement.
(3) Negative difference (Below expectation): In this scenario, the perceived value is lower than expected, indicating insufficient tourism participation capacity of individual community residents. These residents lack the necessary self-development capacity and are dissatisfied with their livelihood situations, making it challenging for them to engage fully in tourism. Incentive policies that shape the tourism capacity of community residents are undoubtedly a “welcome relief” and are crucial in enhancing the enthusiasm for participating in tourism, thereby increasing the level of community tourism involvement.
Figure 1 Evaluation framework of community residents’ tourism participation level under “expectation-perception” difference

Note: “D” represents the difference between expectation and perception.

3 Study area and research methodology

3.1 Study area

The Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site is located 15 km southeast of Tekes County in Yili, Xinjiang, approximately 132 km from Yining City. It lies at an altitude ranging from 2000 to 3957 m, with a total area coverage of 2848 km2. The heritage site includes the East Kalajun Scenic Area, West Kalajun Scenic Area, Qiongkushtai Village, and the Kurdai River Valley, among others. In 2016, Kalajun was designed as the 10th national 5A level tourist attraction in Xinjiang and the 2nd in Yili. By 2019, Tekes County had received 3214500 tourists, generating tourism revenue of 2.675 billion yuan, which increased by 52% and 55% compared to the previous year. This rapid growth in tourism has not only boosted the local economy but also reinforced the ecological protection efforts of the region’s grasslands.
Community residents in the study area participate in tourism through various operational models. One model involves voluntarily joining a tourism professional cooperative organized by the tourism management department of the Tekes County Government. In this model, herders engage in tourism operations through collective production, and dividends are distributed based on individual material inputs and contributions to the cooperative. Another model allows herders to operate independently, taking full responsibility for their own profits and losses. Additionally, some residents choose to work for tourism companies on a household basis. They can also choose to work for tourism companies within the scenic area to earn a stable wage.
Tourism business projects pursued by local residents include the following: Firstly, the herder’s homestay is a common business format offering tourists local specialty meals, traditional felt-room accommodation, and performances of Kazakh folk songs and dances. Secondly, snack stalls are also popularly operated by herders at scenic area transit shops and offer fast food items such as instant noodles, sausages, and bread, as well as local specialties like naan, fermented yogurt, smoked horsemeat, and horse intestines. Thirdly, horse rental also features a unique tourism activity within the scenic area where herders provide horse-riding services either independently or through cooperatives.
In general, the Kalajun Heritage Site exhibits a diversified tourism participation structure characterized by a mix of individual, cooperative, and company operations. However, field research has revealed several challenges. The tourism operational model in the area is currently disorganized. Tourism cooperatives have not fully realized their intended function of guidance, which has led to fragmented management and, in some cases, illegal operations. Furthermore, tourism projects tend to lack variety and sophistication, with many services appearing homogeneous. This limits visitor engagement and leaves tourists with a generic and repetitive impression of the area.

3.2 Research methodology

3.2.1 Indicator selection

All independent variables in the model are qualitative in nature. Among them, education, labor, and income are ordinal variables, and village representative, gender, and age are categorical variables. Ordinal variables are assigned numeric values that can directly represent the level of rank. For example, education levels are coded as 1, 2, 3, and 4, with higher values indicating a higher level of education. Meanwhile, since the categorical variables can only indicate the nature of the variables and cannot be directly ranked, dummy variables are used to represent them numerically. Table 1 below outlines the specific variable classifications and their assigned values.
Table 1 Assignment of independent variables
Variable classification Independent variable Assignment value
Ordinal
variables		 Labor
force		 1 person 1
2 persons 2
3 persons 3
4 persons 4
5 persons 5
6 persons and above 6
Educational
level		 Primary and below 1
Junior high school 2
High school or
secondary school		 3
Bachelor’s degree
or college and above		 4
Family
annual
disposable
income
(yuan)		 ≤20000 1
20001-40000 2
40001-60000 3
60001-100000 4
>100000 5
Categorical variables Village
representative		 Yes 0
No 1
Gender Male 0
Female 1
Age (yr) <16 agei=1,2,3,4,5=0
16-25 age1=1, agei=2,3,4,5=0
26-35 age2=2, agei=1,3,4,5=0
36-45 age3=3, agei=1,2,4,5=0
46-55 age4=4, agei=1,2,3,5=0
≥56 age5=5, agei=1,2,3,4=0

Note: The age section in the fourth column is the dummy variable assignment operation.

3.2.2 Data sources

In July 2021, the research team conducted a field study in Kalajun to investigate the management of tourism cooperatives and the involvement of herders in tourism-related businesses. To minimize communication barriers and enhance the accuracy and efficiency of questionnaire distribution, two Kazakh-speaking university students were invited to join the project team as Kazakh interpreters. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed, of which 192 were returned, yielding 190 valid results with a high validity rate of 98.96%. As the Kalajun area is predominantly pastoral with a limited number of herding households, the distributed questionnaires covered the majority of households in the region. Hence, the sample data is considered highly representative of the local population.
The questionnaire consisted of three parts: first, the personal characteristics of the household head, including age, gender, education level, and other basic information; second, the basic information of the household, covering family size, number of labor force members, and household disposable income; third, “expectation-perception” related to community participation in tourism. This section included twelve questions grouped into three categories: tourism policy application, cooperative adaptation, and tourism operations. A five-point Likert scale was used to quantify expectations and perceptions, with scores ranging from 1 to 5. Higher values indicate higher expectations or perceptions regarding tourism participation.
To assess the reliability and validity of the questionnaire data, SPSS 28.0 was used for statistical analysis. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.854 (>0.7), indicating strong reliability; the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of the questionnaire was 0.728, and the Bartlett’s test of sphericity yielded a significance value of <0.001 (P<0.05). These results confirm the high validity and suitability of the dataset for further analysis.

3.2.3 Model selection

3.2.3.1 Importance-performance analysis (IPA)

IPA analysis is a widely used analytical managerial tool in tourism project optimization, destination attractiveness assessment, and resident satisfaction evaluation. The IPA analysis in this study followed three steps: 1) Important values, such as expectations and perceived performance, including actual perceptions, were obtained through the questionnaire. 2) The expectation value was plotted on the vertical axis, and the perceived actual performance on the horizontal axis. Each attribute’s coordinate was positioned in a two-dimensional space. 3) Using the overall mean values of expectation and perception as the intersection point, the coordinate space was divided into four quadrants, namely, “Continue to maintain, Improvement focus, Lower priority, and Excessive supply,” and other quadrants.

3.2.3.2 Non-parametric tests for independent samples

To examine the influence of individual characteristic differences on residents’ level of participation, this study applied non-parametric tests. Different groups defined by individual characteristics such as gender, age, and educational level were treated as distinct independent samples. If significant differences are observed, it is inferred that individual characteristics contribute to disparities in tourism participation. Conversely, if no significant differences are detected, it suggests that the variation in individual characteristics does not substantially affect participation in community tourism.

3.2.3.3 Multivariate linear regression analysis

To further verify the influence of specific differences in distinct individual characteristics on community tourism participation capacity, a multiple linear regression model was constructed (Zhang et al., 2020). The model is specified as follows:
$\begin{aligned} T P C= & \beta_{0}+\beta_{1}(\text { village representative })+\beta_{2}\left(\text { age }_{1}\right)+ \\ & \beta_{3}\left(\text { age }_{2}\right)+\beta_{4}\left(\text { age }_{3}\right)+\beta_{5}\left(\text { age }_{4}\right)+\beta_{6}\left(\text { age }_{5}\right)+ \\ & \beta_{7}(\text { education })+\beta_{8}(\text { labor })+\beta_{9}(\text { income })+\varepsilon \end{aligned}$
where β0 is the intercept term; βi(i = 1, …, 9) are the regression coefficients of the explanatory variables; ε is the random error term. The dependent variable, TPC, reflects the degree of participation in tourism by residents of the surveyed community. The independent variables of Village representative, age, Education, Labor, and Income represent the status of village representative, age, education level, household labor force, and income of the respondents, respectively.

4 Results and analyses

4.1 Basic sample characterization

Based on the grey scale classification criteria commonly adopted in the relevant literature (Bu et al., 2024) and the actual situation of the study area, the statistical characteristics of the samples are summarized in Table 2. In terms of ethnic distribution, the Kerala grassland, which serves as a summer pasture, is predominantly inhabited by Kazakh herders, with only a few individuals identifying as Han or Hui. In terms of gender composition, male respondents account for a larger proportion (71.1%) compared to females (28.9%). With respect to age composition, the sample is skewed toward younger individuals, with only 6.3% of the respondents aged 56 or older. This reflects the demographic dynamics of the summer pastures, where younger individuals are typically the primary labor force, while older individuals tend to reside as permanent residents. Education attainment among residents is generally low, with approximately 78.9% of respondents having only completed primary or lower secondary education, which is consistent with the data from the seventh population census in Xinjiang. Most households consist of three to five members (71.1%). Primarily, households contain two or three generations, commonly structured as ‘young couple+children’ or ‘young couple+children+paternal grandparents’. The household labor force is relatively limited, with the majority comprising two active workers, usually adult males, while females typically take on domestic responsibilities. Only 13.2% of respondents identified as village representatives. In terms of household disposable income, the largest proportion (43.7%) falls within the range of 20001 to 40000 yuan. Due to the implementation of the policy of prohibiting and restricting pastoralism, the conditions for herders’ tourism business are relatively underdeveloped. In summary, the sample characteristics of the samples are consistent with the actual demographic, economic, and occupational profiles of the study area.
Table 2 Basic characteristics of the sample
Categories Items Frequency Proportion (%) Categories Items Frequency Proportion (%)
Ethnic group Kazakh ethnic group 188 98.9 Age (yr) 16-25 21 11.1
Han ethnic group 1 0.5 26-35 49 25.8
Hui ethnic group 1 0.5 36-45 72 37.9
Gender Male 135 71.1 46-55 36 18.9
Female 55 28.9 ≥56 12 6.3
Village
representative		 Yes 25 13.2 Number of
family members
(person)		 ≤2 9 4.7
No 165 86.8 3-5 135 71.1
Educational level Primary and below 93 48.9 6-8 43 22.6
Junior high school 57 30 9-11 2 1.1
High school or
secondary school		 33 17.4 >11 1 0.5
University/college 7 3.7 Labor force
(person)		 1 43 22.6
Family annual
disposable income
(yuan)		 Less than 20000 65 34.2 2 107 56.3
20001-40000 83 43.7 3 28 14.7
40001-60000 28 14.7 4 8 4.2
60001-100000 10 5.3 5 1 0.5
>100000 4 2.1 ≥6 3 1.6

4.2 Analysis of community residents’ tourism participation level

4.2.1 Expectation-perception analysis of community residents’ participation level in tourism

As shown in Table 3, the median value of community residents’ expectation for tourism participation is 3.62, while the median value for their actual perceptions is 3.40. The perceived value is consistently lower than the expected value, indicating a negative expectation-perception gap. This suggests that the overall level of community participation in tourism remains low. The specific findings are as follows:
(1) The expectation value (3.49) and perception value (3.13) for “government financial support” are both below the median, indicating limited capital accumulation among herding households. Herders continue to harbor the longstanding belief that bank loans are difficult to obtain, reflecting a lack of confidence in government-backed financial support. The discrepancy between expectation and perception highlights that tourism-related financial policies are either insufficiently implemented or poorly communicated, while herders show limited capacity to effectively access or utilize available support mechanisms.
(2) Herders’ expectations and perceptions regarding the “cooperative management level,” “benefits from participating in the cooperative,” “cooperative dividend system,” and “tourism horse team system” all fall below the median, pointing to a general lack of confidence in cooperative-based tourism models. Specifically, the perception scores for “benefits from joining the cooperative” and “cooperative dividend system” are particularly low (both at 3.22), suggesting dissatisfaction with current practices. This implies the need to improve both the structure and operation of tourism cooperatives.
(3) While the score for items such as “ability to communicate with tourists”, “home visit program for tourists”, and “self-selected mode of tourism operation” is higher than the median value, the results remain negative. This indicates that despite the relevance of these aspects to herders’ daily lives and their operational feasibility, actual performance remains unsatisfactory. Contributing factors include poor Mandarin proficiency, limited communication skills, weak service awareness, and a lack of market-oriented thinking. Particularly noteworthy is the pronounced negative gap in “tourism income,” which is significantly below the median, indicating that most herders have yet to experience tangible economic benefits from tourism development.
Table 3 Expectations, perceptions, and differential values of community tourism participation
Items “Expectation-perception” indicators Expected value Perceived value Difference value P-value
Tourism policy
applications (A)		 Government policy communication and working style (A1) 3.80 3.46 -0.34 <0.001
Government financial support (A2) 3.49 3.13 -0.36 <0.001
Location of Tour Operator Points (A3) 3.67 3.40 -0.27 <0.001
Operational tourism content (A4) 3.73 3.48 -0.25 <0.001
Adaptation of
tourism
cooperatives (B)		 Level of management of cooperatives (B1) 3.61 3.35 -0.26 <0.001
Benefits from participation in cooperatives (B2) 3.57 3.22 -0.35 <0.001
Cooperative dividend system (B3) 3.55 3.22 -0.33 <0.001
Tourist Horse Guards System (B4) 3.57 3.32 -0.25 <0.001
Tourism
operations (C)		 Income from tourism (C1) 3.63 3.22 -0.41 <0.001
Ability to communicate with tourists (C2) 3.78 3.59 -0.19 <0.001
Tourist Home Visiting Programme (C3) 3.73 3.48 -0.25 <0.001
Autonomy in choosing how to run a tour (C4) 3.85 3.48 -0.37 <0.001
Median value 3.62 3.40 -0.31 -

4.2.2 IPA distribution of community residents’ “expectation-perception” performance in tourism participation

The preceding analyses demonstrate that the overall “expectation-perception” difference in community tourism participation is negative, indicating that herders exhibit a generally low level of participation in tourism participation. An IPA diagram was utilized to further identify the key aspects of improvement in community tourism participation. Based on the mean values of expectations and perceptions (Expected value=3.62, Perceived value=3.40), these values were used as reference thresholds to demonstrate the quadrants in the IPA diagram, which was generated using SPSS software.
Figure 2 shows that Quadrant I represents areas where both expectations and perceived performance are high. Items located in this quadrant indicate strengths that should be maintained and gradually enhanced. Quadrant Ⅱ includes items with high expectations but low perceived performance, such as “Engaging in tourism to obtain income.” This quadrant stands for the focus of improvement. It suggests that while herders have high expectations for increasing household income through tourism, the actual financial benefits have not met their expectations. The economic situation of the household has not been significantly improved as a result of engaging in tourism business activities. In Quadrant Ⅲ, the main contents include “government financial support”, “cooperative management level”, “benefit from joining the cooperative”, “cooperative dividend system”, and “tourism horse team system”. This indicates that factors such as government financial support and cooperative management play a vital role in successful community participation. These aspects must be prioritized in policy interventions. Quadrant Ⅳ includes items with low expectations but high perceived performance, signifying potential “over-supply” with no need for special attention. However, no item falls within this quadrant, which suggests that there is still room for improvement in the implementation of community participation in tourism policies. Furthermore, the item “location of tourism business sites” falls along the boundary between Quadrants I and II, highlighting the government’s need for better spatial planning.
Figure 2 Distribution of IPA of herders’ “expectation-perception” performance

Note: The box numbers in Figure 2 correspond to the evaluation indicator numbers in Table 3.

4.3 Analysis of factors influencing the level of community tourism participation

4.3.1 Non-parametric test analysis of independent samples

Non-parametric tests, which do not assume a specific distribution of the population, were employed to analyze differences in tourism participation based on various demographic characteristics. Two types of non-parametric tests were conducted: for two independent samples and for multiple independent samples.
When analyzing gender differences, male and female respondents were treated as independent samples. As shown in Table 4, all four test statistics yielded P-values greater than 0.05, indicating that gender does not significantly influence the evaluation scores for community tourism participation. The same results in four tests suggest that gender differences do not have an impact on participation levels. In contrast, when examining the status of village representatives, the village representative and non-village representative populations are also regarded as two independent samples. All four test statistics produced P-values less than 0.05, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. This suggests that whether a resident holds a village representative role significantly affects their evaluation of community tourism participation.
Table 4 Test of significance of differences in gender and village representation
Type of test Gender Village representative
Mann-Whitney U 0.182 <0.001
Moses 0.054 <0.001
Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 0.322 <0.001
Wald-Wolfowitz 1 <0.001
Further analysis was conducted based on age, education level, number of family laborers and household disposable income. These variables were treated as multiple independent samples. As shown in Table 5, all tests produced P-values less than 0.05 for all four variables, rejecting the original hypothesis. It suggests that the differences these demographic characteristics significantly influence the level of community participation in tourism.
Table 5 Test of significance level
Type of test Age Education level Labor force Household disposable income
Kruskal-Wallis <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Median test <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001
Jonckheere-Terpstra <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001

4.3.2 Analysis of regression results

To further assess the influence of various demographic variables on tourism participation, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted using SPSS 28.0. The ordinary least squares (OLS) method was employed to estimate the model parameters in the regression, and the specific results are summarized in Table 6. The regression analysis reveals that education level, number of family laborers, household disposable income, and age significantly affect the level of community tourism participation. However, village representative status does not exhibit a statistically significant influence. Among them, education level (P=0.055, positive coefficient) has a positive impact at the 10% level. This suggests a strong, positive correlation between the individual’s education level and tourism participation. The number of family laborers (P<0.001, positive coefficient) significantly affects the level of community participation in tourism at the 1% level of significance, indicating that households with more labor capacity are more likely to engage in tourism. Household disposable income (P<0.001, positive coefficient) is also significant at a 1% level, suggesting that households with greater financial resources are better positioned in tourism. Age groups 46-55 and 56 and above have negative coefficients with significance levels of 0.075 and 0.025, respectively. These two age groups negatively affect the level of tourism participation at 10% and 5% significance levels, implying that older herders are less likely to participate in tourism. Additionally, the variable representative (P=0.110) is not statistically significant, indicating that holding a village representative role does not directly affect participation levels in the regression model.
Table 6 OLS regression results on factors influencing community tourism participation
Model Unstandardized coefficient Standardized coefficient t P-value
β Standard errors β
Constant -0.806 0.271 -2.979 0.003
Representative -0.157 0.098 -0.082 -1.608 0.11
Age1 -0.022 0.243 -0.010 -0.091 0.928
Age2 -0.185 0.231 -0.126 -0.803 0.423
Age3 -0.175 0.229 -0.132 -0.767 0.444
Age4 -0.426* 0.238 -0.259 -1.793 0.075
Age5 -0.575** 0.255 -0.217 -2.258 0.025
Education 0.094* 0.048 0.126 1.931 0.055
Labor 0.183*** 0.038 0.264 4.837 <0.001
Income 0.238*** 0.043 0.348 5.499 <0.001

Note: ***, ** and * denote significant at the 1%, 5%, and 10% levels, respectively.

5 Discussion

The overall level of tourism participation of Kalajun community residents remains relatively low. This is largely attributed to herders’ limited understanding of tourism policies, which hinders their ability to apply such policies flexibly. Additionally, they face challenges in adapting to tourism cooperatives, and tourism products in the region suffer from severe homogenization, restricting herders’ capacity to effectively operate tourism-related businesses. The root of these issues lies in the community’s limited capacity for self-development. Specifically, this limitation is reflected in a lack of necessary skills and qualifications, which prevents herders from employing their knowledge and abilities to support tourism development. The factors influencing community tourism participation in heritage sites should be analyzed in context-specific terms as follows: 1) A relatively low participation is observed among the middle-aged and elderly groups. Li et al. (2022) found that the willingness of herders to engage in grassland ecotourism decreases with age. Similarly, our study supports this finding, suggesting that middle-aged and old-aged herders are more reliant on traditional pastoralism for their livelihoods. Compared with younger generations, they are slower to accept new ideas and acquire new skills in the face of the emerging tourism industry, resulting in lower participation levels. 2) Regarding education level, higher education correlates with greater tourism participation. Zhao and Fang (2011) pointed out in their study that a higher level of education will result in more people being willing to participate in tourism operations; Ye et al. (2022) also found in their study that the low cultural level of community residents makes them feel challenged to make rapid responses in the tourism market in a timely manner. Therefore, they can only provide underdeveloped tourism products. In line with this, our findings suggest that individuals with higher educational attainment demonstrate greater awareness of community tourism and are more adept at mastering customer service skills, thereby achieving higher levels of participation. 3) Households with more labor force members participate more. Ding et al. (2019) identified a significant positive correlation between labor force size and ecotourism participation. Our study echoes this, showing that households with more available labor are able to diversify their tourism-related ventures, such as combining horse rental services with homestays or running small shops. Consequently, it results in a higher overall engagement in tourism. 4) Higher household disposable income fosters deeper tourism involvement. As noted by Cui et al. (2017), household income plays a key role in rural tourism development. Our study also proved that households with higher disposable incomes were able to invest more in tourism. 5) No significant differences based on gender or villager representative status. The absence of gender-based differences in tourism participation may be attributed to the growth of ecotourism in heritage sites, which has increased the awareness and self-reliance of ethnic minority women, alongside the increased dissemination of gender equality concepts promoted through ecotourism development. Similarly, the non-significant role of village representatives’ status means that existing rural governance mechanisms may not yet fully support or mobilize effective herder participation.

6 Conclusions and suggestions

6.1 Conclusions

The perceived value of tourism participation among Kalajun community residents is notably lower than their expected value, resulting in a negative ‘expectation-perception’ gap and, consequently, a low overall level of participation. Specifically, herders lack an understanding of tourism-related policies, limiting their ability to utilize them effectively. They also struggle to adapt to the operational structure of tourism cooperatives, and the tourism products they offer are highly homogenized and lack innovation, which reflects the generally low capacity of herders in managing tourism enterprises. For most herders, ‘Increasing income from tourism‘ is the primary motivation for engaging in tourism, thereby increasing household income. However, in practice, their income gained from tourism has been limited, and their economic benefits derived from community participation in tourism are not immediately visible and require continuous capacity building to materialize. The economic benefits generated from community participation in tourism are not immediately visible and require continuous capacity building to materialize. Herding family endowment affects the level of tourism participation of community residents, and higher levels of education, a greater household labor force, and higher disposable income all positively influence the degree of tourism participation. In contrast, being aged 46 years or older has a significant negative impact, as older herders tend to be less receptive to new ideas and slower to acquire new skills. To address this, the elderly herders should be targeted for more intensive policy dissemination and skills training to enhance their engagement in tourism operations.

6.2 Suggestions

(1) The government should strengthen the effectiveness of tourism policy implementation and enhance herders’ responsiveness and capacity to apply such policies flexibly. First, implementation should prioritize the fundamental interests of herders. Policy communication must achieve comprehensive coverage while considering individual differences, especially age. The policy implementation practitioner should aim for at least one member in every household to thoroughly understand the policy content and intent. Second, in the process of implementation, local cadres should act as leaders, actively mobilizing the enthusiasm and initiative of village representatives through the organization of various forms of training activities, such as inviting tourism experts to explain policy opportunities and sharing successful case studies to help them broaden their horizons and enhance the level of knowledge. Regularly, forums should be held to allow village representatives to fully express their views, thus actively contributing to the development of local tourism and transforming from passive recipients to active policy participants. Cadres should also establish communication channels between village representatives, government agencies, and tourism enterprises to break information barriers and promote coordinated development. Third, the government should highlight the loan problem of herders with financial difficulties, improve access to loans, and attract external investment to broaden financing options so that the financial constraints on tourism participation can be eased. Fourth, when planning tourism businesses, the principle of proximity and trend should be followed to leverage the multi-generational advantages of herder families and activate the potential of women, youth, and older adults in the associated services.
(2) Tourism cooperatives should be restructured and professionalized to improve the management system and serve herder households better. Primarily, to strengthen the effectiveness of tourism cooperatives and improve their ability to adapt to changing demands, the cooperatives should be subdivided according to specific tourism business projects. Thus, service specialization can be promoted, and a focus on improving service quality can be ensured. By regularly collecting tourist feedback and refining the service process accordingly, cooperatives can better meet and exceed visitor expectations, thereby increasing tourist satisfaction. Leadership within the cooperatives should be strengthened through the democratic election of “tourism experts” to head each specialized cooperative, who should be responsible for managing cooperative affairs and regularly participating in the training programs to enhance their professional capabilities. Furthermore, the internal governance of cooperatives should be continuously improved, which involves clearly defining the scope of responsibilities for both the cooperative and its members, as well as clarifying members’ rights and obligations. Additionally, a transparent and equitable revenue distribution mechanism should be established, with dividends publicly disclosed and periodically distributed to members to ensure trust and accountability. To enhance external visibility and community recognition, cooperatives should actively engage in reputation-effect marketing. By organizing regular internal training and exchange activities, members’ familiarity with cooperative operations can be increased, and a sense of ownership and pride can be cultivated. This, in turn, encourages members to promote cooperative tourism projects to friends and families during daily interactions. Tourism products offered by cooperatives can also be included in regional travel itineraries through partnerships with travel agencies, while social media platforms can be applied to encourage tourists to share their tourism experiences, creating a positive public image and strong word-of-mouth effect.
(3) Innovative tourism business training modes should be adopted to improve herders’ participation in tourism activities. To improve herders’ engagement and skill development in tourism, it is crucial to design training programs with innovative recruitment strategies that emphasize the usability of training content and are aligned with herders’ daily routines and learning preferences. Also, in-depth research into the actual needs and lifestyles of herders should inform the training design with flexible scheduling to make full use of their free time. In addition to traditional promotional methods such as posters and leaflets, modern digitals should be employed. Other online channels, such as social media platforms and short video applications, can be used to create engaging, easy-to-understand visual materials. These materials should contain the features, benefits, and success stories of the training programs, allowing herders to clearly perceive the tangible value of participation. Training content should be tailored according to the herders’ age, literacy levels, and existing skills, ensuring both relevance and practicality. Interactive, participatory training methods should be prioritized to accommodate varying education levels. Training initiatives may include programs such as ‘Mandarin Night School,’ ‘Tourism Reception Classroom,’ and ‘Catering Service Classroom,’ which focus on improving the herders’ Mandarin communication skills, service capacity, and hospitality management. This training should align with the standards required by 5A-level scenic spots to develop a skilled tourism workforce locally. Furthermore, a system for evaluating training outcomes should be established. Active participation in the training should receive material incentives or certificates of honor, encouraging them to engage more deeply and take the initiative to ask questions, thus contributing to a positive learning atmosphere. In particular, herders should be given greater autonomy in the tourism-related decision-making process, ensuring their willingness and preference are respected. Regular assessments of training effectiveness should be conducted to inform future program adjustments and continuous improvement.

References

Publishing order | Descend order by publishing year | Descend order by cited within
[1]
Amartya S. 2012. Treat development with freedom. Translated by RenX, YuZ. Beijing, China: Renmin University of China Press. (in Chinese)

[2]
Andereck K, Nyaupane G P. 2016. Exploring the nature of tourism and quality of life perceptions among residents. Journal of Travel Research, 50: 248-260.

DOI

[3]
Bu S J, Wang Q, Hu C W, et al. 2024. Drivers of residents’ livelihood resilience in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China: From PLS-SEM and fs/QCA. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 15(5): 1274-1285.

DOI

[4]
Chan J K L, Marzuki K M, Mohtar T M. 2021. Local community participation and responsible tourism practices in ecotourism destination: A case of lower Kinabatangan, Sabah. Sustainability, 13(23): 13302. DOI: 10.3390/SU132313302.

[5]
Cui X M, Chen J, Yang X J. 2017. Research on sustainable livelihoods impacted by rural tourism—A case study of Ankang in Qinling and Bashan Mountainous areas. Mountain Research, 35(1): 85-94. (in Chinese)

[6]
Ding H M, Ma B, Lei S, et al. 2019. Analysis on community ecotourism participation under the theory of sustainable livelihood—A case study of Qinling area. Forestry Economics, 41(5): 89-95. (in Chinese)

[7]
Fan X H, Cheng L. 2020. The complexity of residents’ support for rural tourism development is based on a shared perspective using the fsQCA approach. Tourism Tribune, 35(4): 36-50. (in Chinese)

[8]
Feng X H, Wang J, Yu J F. 2015. The tourism perception and tourism participation of the residents living in the Tianshan Tianchi scenic spot. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 29(12): 227-232. (in Chinese)

[9]
Gohori O, Vander M P. 2022. Limitations to community participation in tourism from local people’s perspectives: Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. Development Southern Africa, 39(6): 841-855.

DOI

[10]
Hu X, Wang Z. 2012. A research on the approaches of capacity building for tourism participation by Luo Rong Tibetan community. Academic Exploration, (9): 90-93. (in Chinese)

[11]
Jackson L A. 2008. Residents’ perceptions of the impacts of special event tourism. Journal of Place Management and Development, 1(3): 240-255.

DOI

[12]
Len Z M, Ma X J. 2009. Protection and utilization of China’s world natural heritages. Economic Geography, 29(4): 668-672. (in Chinese)

[13]
Li F, Jin M, Ming Q Z. 2018. Construction and application of tourism participation capacity evaluation system for impoverished rural communities under the background of tourism poverty. Resource Development & Market, 34(7): 907-911. (in Chinese)

[14]
Li L, Chi M J, Zhang T. 2022. Research on the willingness and influencing factors of herdsmen to participate in grassland eco-tourism management based on the Heckman two-stage model. Shandong Agricultural Sciences, 54(8): 166-172. (in Chinese)

[15]
Li W L, Kuang W H. 2019. The impact of tourism development in pastoral areas on the livelihoods of herdsmen—A case study of Xilamuren grassland in Inner Mongolia. Scientia Geographica Sinica, 39(1): 131-139. (in Chinese)

[16]
Liang W J, Xie R Y. 2019. Research on sustainable poverty alleviation capability building of non-agricultural relocated poor migrants from the perspective of capability poverty. Journal of Huazhong Agricultural University (Social Sciences Edition), (4): 105-114, 174-175. (in Chinese).

[17]
Liu H F, Ming Q Z. 2012. Study on the dilemma and countermeasures of community participation in tourism development. Journal of Sichuan Normal University (Social Sciences Edition), 39(2): 56-62. (in Chinese)

[18]
Lu M. 2016. Analysis of herdsmen’s human resources in eastern Qinghai Province—A case of the eastern part of Qinghai. Qinghai Journal of Ethnology, 27(4): 174-178. (in Chinese)

[19]
Nie A W, Sun R L. 2017. Pastoral livelihood dilemma and herdsmen under the pressure of grassland environment—A case study of an animal husbandry company in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Journal of China Agricultural University (Social Sciences), 34(2): 112-119. (in Chinese)

[20]
Oliver R L. 1980. A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4): 460-469.

DOI

[21]
Putra A, Ariana N. 2023. Participation management pattern of tourism village communities in encouraging sustainable tourism. Journal of Economics Finance and Management Studies, 6(2): 43. DOI: 10.47191/jefms/v6-i2-43.

[22]
Qu K F, Zuo T, Wang L Y. 2018. Analysis of the difficulties in poverty alleviation through skills in deep poverty-stricken areas from the perspective of ability poverty. Journal of Minzu University of China (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 45(3): 63-70. (in Chinese)

[23]
Stacchini A, Guizzardi A, Brasini S. 2024. A non-compensatory index of community participation in cross-border tourism development processes. Land, 13(9): 1519. DOI: 10.3390/land13091519.

[24]
Sun F Z, Jia Y J. 2020. Influence factors of residents’ political trust from the perception of tourism community residents—Based on the explanation of social exchange theory. Journal of Beijing Institute of Technology (Social Sciences Edition), 22(4): 90-99. (in Chinese)

[25]
Sun J X. 2008. Empowerment theory and the construction of community capability in the development of tourism. Tourism Tribune, 23(9): 22-27. (in Chinese)

[26]
Tian H S, Zeng T, Liu F, et al. 2016. An empirical study on the satisfaction of basic education. Education Research, 37(6): 31-42. (in Chinese)

[27]
Tong J, Li Y, Yang Y. 2024. System construction, tourism empowerment, and community participation: the sustainable way of rural tourism development. Sustainability, 16(1): 422. DOI: 10.3390/su16010422.

[28]
Wang D, Tao B X, Zheng G M. 2020a. Research on the factors influencing the continuous use behavior of VR library users based on expectation and confirmation theory. Journal of Modern Information, 40(8): 111-120. (in Chinese)

[29]
Wang J W, Xie L, Zhang S Y. 2020b. Residents’ perceptions and participation in dark tourism on natural disaster site—A case study of Jina Qiang Stockaded Village, China. Tourism Tribune, 35(11): 101-114. (in Chinese)

[30]
Wang X Y. 2019. Evaluation of the self-development ability of ethnic regions under the framework of the regional self-development capacity theory. Journal of Minzu University of China (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 46(3): 84-92. (in Chinese)

[31]
Wang X Y, Wang X Y. 2016. Employment satisfaction of graduates based on expectation and perception—A case study of Jinan University in Shandong Province. Population and Economy, (6): 92-101. (in Chinese)

[32]
Wang Y, Sun Y H, Su Y Y, et al. 2020c. Research on agricultural heritage tourism interpretation resources based on community participation—A case study of the rice-fish system. Tourism Tribune, 35(5): 75-86. (in Chinese)

[33]
Wang Y, Xie H Z. 2020. Stakeholder contradictions and win-win strategies for tourism along the ancient tea horse road in the south of Yunnan based on game Analysis. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 11(5): 531-538.

DOI

[34]
Wang Z G, Yang Z P, Cao K J, et al. 2016. Community cognition on the protection of world natural heritage and its affecting factors: A case study in the Kalajun World Natural Heritage Site. Arid Zone Research, 33(6): 1311-1317. (in Chinese)

[35]
Wang Z P. 2018. Research on rewarding crowdfunding users’ continuous participation based on expectation confirmation theory. Soft Science, 32(10): 135-139. (in Chinese)

[36]
Xiang B H, Zeng Y X. 2017. Ecotourism construction and operating mechanism in the Sanjiangyuan National Park System Pilot Area, China. Resources Science, 39(1): 50-60. (in Chinese)

[37]
Xu F J, Li H H. 2019. Research on countermeasures to increase the stock of human capital in Tibet—From the perspective of self-development ability. Heilongjiang National Series, (6): 71-76. (in Chinese)

[38]
Xu Y H, Gong Z Y. 2015. Social quality, community capacity, and capability poverty of urban residents. Journal of Social Science of Hunan Normal University, 44(5): 116-125. (in Chinese)

[39]
Yang Q, Tian Y H, Tong Y L. 2020. The mechanism of community participation in protecting and developing world natural heritage sites: Take the Langshan Scenic Area of Hunan Province as an example. Economic Geography, 40(2): 233-240. (in Chinese)

[40]
Ye S A, Du F J, Wu K H, et al. 2022. The rural community participation in tourism development and its mechanism in world natural heritage site—A case study of Shibing Karst. Chinese Journal of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, 43(7): 294-302. (in Chinese)

[41]
Yu Z D, Xia H Y. 2017. The study on the multidimensional impact of entrepreneurship on the grassroots entrepreneur from the perspective of ability poverty: Based on the multi-cases of rural entrepreneurial enterprises in the Wuling Mountain Area. Guizhou Ethnic Studies, 38(10): 66-71. (in Chinese)

[42]
Zhai Y J, Zhou C C, Che Z Y. 2019. A study on the rebuilding of the multi-dimensional poor farmers’ capability from the perspective of capability. Statistics & Decision, 35(4): 93-96. (in Chinese)

[43]
Zhang B B, Wang Y R, Xu R, et al. 2020. The influence of personal characteristics differences on urban residents’ water literacy. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 34(2): 58-63. (in Chinese)

[44]
Zhang C Z. 2021. Ecotourism based on World Natural Heritage sites: The role and status of communities. Tourism Tribune, 36(9): 7-8. (in Chinese)

[45]
Zhang J F. 2020. Research on the empowerment of community tourism in World Cultural Heritage Sites—Comment on theory and practice of community tourism empowerment in cultural heritage sites. Intertrade, (5): 97. DOI: 10.14114/j.cnki.itrade.2020.05.014. (in Chinese)

[46]
Zhao C F. 2009. Froum’s expectation of the post-80s employee management. Talent Resources Development, (3): 104-105. (in Chinese)

[47]
Zhao L, Fang C. 2011. An empirical analysis on the influencing factors of community residents’ willingness to participate in tourism operations in ancient towns—A case study of Zhujiajiao and Xitang ancient towns. Finance & Trade Economics, (8): 113-121. (in Chinese)

[48]
Zhao X Y, Ba J J. 2009. Evaluation and cultivation of the herdsman’s self-development capability: A case of Ganan Pasturing Area. Arid Land Geography, 32(1): 130-138. (in Chinese)

[49]
Zheng W J. 2013. A study on the expectation and perception of cruise tourists to the Lijiang River landscape. China’s Population, Resources and Environment, 23(6): 143-148. (in Chinese)

Options
Outlines

/

〈 〉