Evaluation of the Sustainable Development of Traditional Ethnic Village Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Jiaju Tibetan Village in Danba County, China

Abstract

In the process of development, traditional villages, as important tourism resources, have been impacted by external factors and lost their original authenticity. Looking for the important factors affecting its tourism development, in an attempt to assist the sustainable development of a rural destination, is Jiaju Tibetan Village in the Southwest of China. The sustainable evaluation index system divides the assessment criteria into five guideline layers: economic development, ethnic culture, management, sustainable development, and infrastructure and service facilities. The sub-criteria layer and the index layer under each of the guideline layers were refined, and matrices were constructed for various layers of indices, which calculate the weight of each indicator to produce a comprehensive score of the destination’s sustainability. The findings of this study are as follow: ① the Tibetan ethnic cultural life experience and the convenience of transportation are the most influential factors. ② Jiaju Tibetan Village is in a stage of basic sustainable development. ③ The determinants of the indicators should be adjusted according to the tourist destination. ④ Traditional villages should learn from each other’s tourism development experience. Finally, this study provides a reference for adjusting and formulating the tourism development strategy of ethnic traditional villages, and reasonable planning to use land, and plays an exemplary role for the development of traditional villages in concentrated ethnic minority areas.

How has rural tourism influenced the sustainable development of traditional villages? A systematic literature review

“…Researchers have utilized a range of indicators and factors to evaluate the potential, such as economic factors, population distribution, environmental conditions, cultural aspects, infrastructure, and psychological factors [ 49 , 155 , 156 ]. Scholars have analyzed several aspects such as economic growth, ethnic culture, management practices, infrastructure and service facilities [164] to assess the impact of tourism on sustainable villages [ 157 ].…”

“… The holistic perspective of traditional villages and rural tourism NO. Year Sub- topic Explanation Research method Primary Data source 84 2015 [ 155 ] Evaluating the Rural Tourism Potentials Analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of developing rural tourism from economic, social, cultural, and environmental aspects (Mixed) The Delphi method/SWOT analysis/the statistical data analysis Experts 85 2018 [ 156 ] (Mixed) The method of comparison/the experimental method/SWOT analysis The tourism sites owner/the rural tourism product users 86 2019 [ 56 ] (Quan) Questionnaire/SWOT analysis Inhabitants 87 2013 [ 160 ] (Mixed) Questionnaire/interview/Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) The experts 88 2022 [ 64 ] Sustainable development of the traditional village Assess the changes caused by tourism to assist the sustainable development of traditional villages from economic, environmental, cultural, social, and other aspects (Quan) questionnaire government officials/service providers/residents 89 2022 [ 158 ] (Mixed) Adaptive Cycle Theory/the entropy weight method Traditional villages 90 2022 [ 157 ] (Quan) Delphi expert scoring/AHP analysis/the statistical data analysis Experts 91 2017 [ 1 ] Revitalizing tradition...…”

“… [ 10 , 32 , 34 , 73 , 77 , 90 , 113 , 114 , 116 , 119 , 120 , 124 , 125 , 130 , 152 , 156 ] Culture Loss of authenticity Development of tourism might harm the traditional village's internal culture and exterior appearance, Cultural distortion due to catering to tourists' interests. [ 32 , 72 , 108 , 110 , 112 , 118 , 127 , 129 , 131 , 132 , 138 , 139 , 157 , 158 ] Loss of rurality The “core-periphery” pattern of the spatial planning and centered around tourist's interests in rural tourism caused the loss of rurality [ 92 , 93 , 103 , 119 ] Loss of identity The newly constructed local identity initiated by tourism can undermine the preexisting identity of the village. Locals start to think and act like the ‘guest’ community and even consider tourists superior or only play the role of a native.…”

Study on the spatial accessibility and influencing factors of traditional villages in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration of China

“…Based on the theory of heritage activation [ 7 ], when heritage resources are transformed into products without affecting the protection of heritage, the sustainable development of heritage will be achieved in the process of utilization. Relevant studies have shown that rural tourism is an effective way to activate traditional villages and promote rural revitalization [ 8 ]. However, the marginal and complex geographical characteristics of traditional villages [ 9 ] make communication with the outside inconvenient, resulting in poor spatial accessibility, which severely hinders village activation and utilization.…”

Spatial Distribution and Type Division of Traditional Villages in Zhejiang Province

“…Scholars in the fields of archaeology and cultural studies focus on the value recognition of traditional villages, the reconstruction of village style, the inheritance of traditional village culture, and the protection and utilization of village cultural heritage [9][10][11][12]. The field of agricultural economics focuses on researching the agricultural development model, land use model, and sustainable development of rural economy in traditional villages [13][14][15][16]. The field of tourism mainly focuses on rural tourism, with research directions including the development and utilization of tourism resources in traditional villages, factors affecting the development of tourism in traditional villages, and the impact of tourism on the protection and development of traditional villages [17][18][19][20].…”