Tourism targeted poverty alleviation in China : a case study of Luquan County, Yunnan Province

Abstract

The purposes of this research are: 1) to explore the contexts of tourism management as a means for poverty alleviation in Luquan County, China. 2) to identify the key success factors of tourism management practices for poverty alleviation in Guangdong Province, Guangxi Province, and Guizhou Province, China. 3) to investigate the efficiency of tourism management for poverty alleviation in Luquan County, China. 4) to propose the strategy plan of tourism management for poverty alleviation in Luquan County, China.

This research will mainly apply qualitative methodology as research method, using semi-structured interview as research tools. Five sample groups of the population and with regards to qualitative research results which are: 1) local poor individuals, 2) local government officers, 3) NGOs, 4) Tourists, and 5) Private sectors. Due to research objective 1 and 3 are in the same location, the same sample size of 30 participants will be used to collect data for both objectives. The research objective 2 must be accomplished in three distinct regions. The sample size for each region is 30 individuals, for total sample size of 90.

The findings of the study indicate that, 1) tourism policy. An on-site interview in Luquan County revealed that the once-promising tourism business in the area has failed to take off. Since there is no tourist industry, it is evident that agriculture is the locals' primary source of income. 2) tourism planning. The region's natural resources are abundant, yet tourism has not increased much. In addition, local government officials said that they will prioritize urgent actions to eliminate the greatest barriers to poverty reduction. 3) tourism participation. All tourists remarked about how disappointing the local tourism was and how little they interacted with locals. 4) sustainable tourism development. Private operators acknowledge the significance of corporate social responsibility, but their modest size makes it difficult to undertake a diverse array of projects. 5) tourism destination management. As the local tourism business is still in its infancy, there are no tourist attractions in the area and just a handful of buses go there. The local infrastructure is quite deficient, and there are no suitable tourist attractions or activities.