The growing interest in ruralism among Chinese people has been observed as China’s population in urban areas has exceeded its rural population. Rural tourism has become one of the leading tourism sectors in China, in large part because many of China’s popular tourist attractions are surrounded by rural communities. This study identified 12 dimensions of tourist-perceived quality. In addition, perceived value and satisfaction were used as mediators to explain the relationships between perceived quality and three dimensions of behavioral intentions (i.e., revisitation intention, positive word-of-mouth, and willingness to pay for special rural products). Furthermore, the moderating impact of urban versus rural residence was tested. A total sample of 495 was used for data analysis. Four tourist-perceived quality dimensions (i.e., tourism infrastructure and transportation, hospitality and learning, handicrafts and culture, and rural environment) were found. The results of this study demonstrated the empirical evidence of the relationship between perceived quality, perceived value, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions. Finally, the results showed a moderating effect. The findings of this study can contribute to increasing various behavioral intentions and sustainable rural tourism in China.

This study explored the relationships between destination attractiveness, satisfaction, the sense of reliving, and loyalty among American tourists who had experienced Silk Road tourism in Uzbekistan. In addition, this study investigated the mediating role of the sense of reliving with regard to satisfaction and loyalty. A total of 477 respondents participated and were used for the final analysis. The results suggest that destination attractiveness includes multidimensional constructs consisting of five dimensions, namely, cultural attractiveness, natural attractiveness, the local people and superstructure, infrastructure, and price attractiveness. Cultural attractiveness, the warm hospitality of local people, and the superstructure appear to be the competitive attributes of Silk Road tourism in Uzbekistan affecting tourist satisfaction. Furthermore, the results reveal that tourist satisfaction increases loyalty. A mediating role of the sense of reliving with regard to satisfaction and loyalty was also confirmed. Tourists remember their travel experiences upon returning home, relive Silk Road travel experiences, and demonstrate their behavioral intentions. These findings can provide a deeper understanding of destination attractiveness and memorable experiences for increasing loyalty to destinations related to Silk Road tourism in Uzbekistan.

Traditional tourism development has adopted a top-down approach, and the role of government has primarily been decision making and regulation in regard to tourism development. There has been growing interest in residents’ participation in tourism destination development and management. The study aims provide empirical evidence by examining the relationship between participative leadership, empowerment, and tourism participation among residents living in the provinces near the borders in Korea. We examine the economic benefits derived from tourists as a moderator. A total of 758 questionnaires were used. This study performed descriptive analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). This study examined the effects of participative leadership and empowerment on three categories of residents’ participation in tourism in DMZ areas in South Korea. This present study tests the relationships between and evaluated the effects of participatory leadership and resident empowerment on three types of resident participation. Participative leadership positively influences empowerment and resident participation. In addition, a positive effect of psychological empowerment between participative leadership and participation as a mediator was found. Participative leadership affects motivational processes, and psychological empowerment leads to participation. The results found that residents perceive their participation as important, and there is no difference based on the additional income they derive from tourism. The study contributes to the enhancement of sustainable development and a deeper understanding of how residents act. Furthermore, the results can provide direction for the creation of participative approaches in tourism development.

This study examines the relationships between tourism destination competitiveness (TDC), empowerment, and support for tourism among residents. It also examines the role of empowerment as a mediator in the relationship between TDC and residents’ support for tourism. A total of 711 respondents were used. This study uses descriptive analysis, two-stage factor analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that seven antecedents of TDC, namely natural, cultural, contextual competitiveness, complementarity, accommodation, infrastructure, and technology, are identified. Psychological empowerment has most positive effects on five facets of destination competitiveness. The results reveal a mediation effect of empowerment between the destination competitiveness and resident supportive behaviors for tourism. The outcome of this proposed model is support for tourism, which means active supportive actions for tourism among residents. The psychological and economic empowerment dimensions are shown to have positive effects on resident support for tourism. Understanding residents’ empowerment and support can be useful for those who develop political policies and action plans for sustainable tourism development. The results can suggest a model for a sustainable destination management, increasing the global reputation of travel destination, and advocacy for sustainable development goals.

Community-based tourism (CBT) aims to offer responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, sustaining local communities’ well-being, and promoting environmental and cultural education. The long-term sustainability of CBT depends on its ability to enhance local livelihoods while protecting natural landscapes. For the Kamoro indigenous tribe in Papua, Indonesia, CBT offers a way to engage with the capitalist world on their own terms while preserving their customs, traditions, and ecocentric worldviews, and sharing them with tourists interested in their culture. However, as evidenced by many failed CBT initiatives, it is not always a desirable or viable path for development due to numerous barriers faced by communities and the potential negative impacts of tourism. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the Kamoro people’s attitudes towards tourism, the barriers to engaging in tourism, and their concerns about its impacts. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with community members and local organizations. The results show that although local people view tourism as a viable economic alternative, they face significant challenges, including a lack of trained human resources, infrastructure, financial support, tourism knowledge, government backing, and cooperation among local stakeholders, among others. While tourism development does not always guarantee the protection of natural and cultural landscapes, a community-led initiative supported by the government can serve as a barrier against the engagement of less sustainable industries controlled by external agents, which could have far more serious negative consequences.

The present study examined the relationship between social capital, local festival participation, and subjective well-being. Moreover, this study examined whether the effect of social capital on subjective well-being can be mediated by festival participation. In addition, it examined the decomposition effect of festival participation and control of models for demographic characteristics. Data used are from the International Comparative Survey on Lifestyle and Values (ICSLV) SWB South Korea Survey. The total number of respondents for the analysis is 1694. The findings indicate that trustful relationships with family and relatives, friends, and neighbors are considerably related to subjective well-being than structural social capital. Moreover, the trust of informal social ties shows considerable potential in facilitating individuals’ local festival participation, which is associated with subjective well-being. Individuals who often participate in traditional local festivals in their communities show higher subjective well-being than those who never attend any festivals. Local festivals in communities can play an important role in strengthening links with individuals in these communities and affect community residents’ well-being. Lastly, the findings can suggest beneficial theoretical and practical implications, and enrich the previous literature on social capital and festival participation.