Mental health key to tourism infrastructure in China's new megapark

Abstract

The global economic value of parks through improved mental health of tourists has been estimated at about ten times greater than direct park tourism expenditure. The Chinese term for this health services value is jing hua xin ling , psychological destressing. Here we present the first case where optimal tourist infrastructure is influenced by including mental health. Using a multi-stage, cross-lingual, differential stakeholder method, we analyse conflicts between road- and roadless-access tourism in the very large new Sanjiangyuan National Park, Qinghai, which offers jing hua xin ling to domestic tourists from eastern-seaboard cities. This provides a powerful tourism attraction, and hence economic opportunity, for the region around the park. If these mental health aspects are included, together with their direct and indirect consequences for tourism, then roadlessness is preferable to new roads. Similar infrastructure conflicts occur for park tourism worldwide, and jing hua xin ling can provide a global theoretical framework.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Tourism Industry: Applying TRIZ and DEMATEL to Construct a Decision-Making Model

“…Stakeholder relationships come from issues that are critical to creating and distributing value [109]. A study in China analyzed the conflicts between road-and roadless-access tourism in China's large new national park, and a differential tourism stakeholder analysis was conducted [110]. A study in Taichung, Taiwan that used social exchange and stakeholder theory investigated the effect of residents' perceived benefits and costs on the subjective well-being and support of megaevents [111].…”

The Impact of a Global Crisis on Areas and Topics of Tourism Research

“…Support domestic and regional tourism Adopt tax reduction measures for domestic tourism; provide digital coupons to support tourism; reduce dependence on long-distance tourists and support regional and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) tourism [18,22,23] Restore market confidence Use big data to investigate the perception of tourists; ensure the safety of destination travel [22,24,25] Carry out intergovernmental cooperation Establish common standards and sanitation agreements between governments, and set up international safe tourism border areas [21,26] Redefine community-based tourism Redefine and reposition the tourism industry according to the rights and interests of local people; ensure the participation of indigenous people and protect their right to know; incorporate indigenous values into national tourism policy planning [18,27]…”

“…Under this theme, on the one hand, many scholars have conducted surveys on tourists' current reactions to travel under COVID-19 and found that the negative impact of COVID-19 has significantly affected the health risks perceived by tourists (for example, [25,[28][29][30]). As a result, tourists' avoidance of travel during the health crisis is caused.…”

“…Tourists' willingness to return to the destination and willingness to pay; tourists' trust in the destination; tourists' attitude, risk perception, and crisis awareness [25,[28][29][30][31] The change in the values of tourists from COVID-19…”

Students’ Intention of Visiting Urban Green Spaces after the COVID-19 Lockdown in China

“…In recent years, interest has grown in the positive benefits that might be gained from natural environments and time spent outdoors [23][24][25]. Nature exposure, including park playing, bird watching, and sporting activities in natural environments can keep people mentally active and healthy [26][27][28]. However, restrictions on the use of public green spaces, quarantine, and social distancing as effective measures implemented to tackle the COVID-19 and protect public health during the pandemic.…”