Culture Integration and Rural Tourism Development: A Scoping Literature Review

Abstract

Rural tourism plays an increasing role in sustaining sustainable rural development. Integrating culture in rural tourism is multifaceted. Local communities have often been regarded as homogeneous and different voices internally is selectively presented or re-interpreted by powers. A better understanding of how and why cultures are integrated into rural tourism is urgently needed. This paper aims to investigate: (1) what are the aims and motives of tourism managers to integrate cultural concepts into rural tourism; (2) who has participated in the cultural integration process; and (3) how cultures have been integrated into rural tourism. Based on a scoping literature review, we find that cultures could add more attractions, such as historical heritage, artwork, cultural landscape, customs, food, and language, to the natural landscape and bring more tourists to rural areas. However, integrating cultures into rural tourism is not always successful. Conflicts of interests among different stakeholders are often found too. Some worst culture-integration cases even destroyed the original natural landscape and local cultures. While culture integration is complicated, injustice and preserve effects do not have to be a consequence of integrating cultures into rural tourism. Two-way communication among tourism provider, managers and demanders can mitigate disruptive outcomes and unlock positive social outcomes.