The influence of culture on the sustainable livelihoods of households in rural tourism destinations

Abstract

This paper describes a modification of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and reports the effects of culture on the sustainable livelihoods of households in a typical rural tourist site in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, China. Different from the previous studies, this paper highlights the role of cultural factors in households’ sustainable livelihoods. The modified SLF can be used as a possible theoretical model to comprehensively characterise the sustainable livelihoods of households in tourism destinations with rich cultural resources. Results show that traditional culture significantly impacts locals’ thoughts and behaviours and is an indispensable livelihood asset for households. The commercial value of traditional culture has gained prominence in response to shifts in modern tourists’ preferences. Most households draw on their past to generate intangible and tangible cultural products to attract tourists and achieve their livelihood goals. The utilisation of tangible cultural resources and intangible cultural heritage to develop rural tourism promotes changes in the livelihood strategies of households. It can enhance locals’ financial, human, and social capital. However, rural tourism development has made cultural preservation a potential source of livelihood vulnerability for households in the study area. Regulations may help reduce the adverse livelihood outcomes of rapid tourism development.

Keywords:

• Culture
• cultural capital
• sustainable livelihoods
• rural tourism
• Likeng village

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by [the National Natural Science Foundation of China] under Grant number [41471131]; [the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities] under Grant number [63192810]; and [the Hundred Young Subjects Leader at Nankai University] under Grant number [91923111].

Notes on contributors

Xiaolong Ma

Xiaolong Ma is a Professor in the School of Tourism and Service Management at Nankai University, China. He received his Ph.D. in Tourism Management from Sun Yat-sen University. His research interests focus on rural tourism and tourism planning.

Rong Wang

Rong Wang is a doctoral student in the School of Tourism and Service Management at Nankai University, China. Her research interests focus on rural tourism and sustainable livelihoods.

Meiling Dai

Meiling Dai is a doctoral student in the School of Tourism and Service Management at Nankai University, China. Her research interests focus on rural tourism.

Yanghong Ou

Yanghong Ou is a doctoral student in the School of Tourism and Service Management at Nankai University and a lecturer in the School of Economics and Management at Kashi University, China. Her research interests focus on rural tourism.