Flourishing

Linguistics

Philosophy

Tourism geography

Economic system

Public relations

Government (linguistics)

Tourism

China

Central government

Economics

Rural tourism

Development economics

Business

Empirical research

Economic geography

Regional science

Psychology

Geography

Political science

Psychotherapist

Epistemology

Local government

Public administration

Economic growth

Stakeholder

Rural area

Journal of Rural Studies

Rural tourism in China is flourishing, largely credited by the scholars in China to the national government's stimulating policies and emphasis on rural regeneration. Against this backdrop and given the scarce literature on the government as a critical stakeholder in rural tourism, this study examines the roles of Chinese central- and local-level governments in rural tourism development. We analyzed both secondary data sourced from government documents and primary data collected through interviews with local government employees and residents at a rural destination in China. The results indicate that the central government plays a steering role in guiding rural tourism towards desired directions, and the local government plays a serving role by directly managing tourism practices and coordinating with businesses and residents to provide services and solve problems. The synergistic interaction of the central and local governments in China stimulates the rapid development of rural tourism.

Analyzing government role in rural tourism development: An empirical investigation from China