Tourist–community interactions in ethnic tourism: Tuva villages, Kanas Scenic Area, China

Abstract

Tourists and destination communities interact in different contexts. Such interactions play a key role in constructing a rewarding experience and cultural understanding for tourists and influence the social and cultural life of the destination community. It is particularly so at ethnic areas where tourism experiences are acquired through encounters with the ethnic community. A diagram of tourist–community interactions in ethnic tourism is developed to outline different types of interactions, factors affecting these interactions, and impacts to both groups of actors. This research explores tourist–community interactions through a comparative examination of tourists' and residents' perceptions at Tuva villages in Kanas Scenic Area (KSA), China. In-depth interviews were conducted with residents involved in tourism and tourists to KSA through two field investigations in 2010 and 2013. Research results indicate that the ethnic encounter is not perceived by tourists as a primary motivation to visit Kanas, but it contributes to the formation of a satisfactory on-site experience. Tourists and community members have diverse needs for these interactions and are impacted by these interactions to different degrees. The research also reveals that community participation influences how and to what extent these interactions occur. Practical implications for KSA are then discussed.

Keywords:

• interactions
• community
• tourist
• ethnic tourism
• Kanas Scenic Area
• China

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all interviewees for their participation in the research and the reviewers and the editors of Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change for their insightful comments which greatly strengthen the paper. The initial version of the paper was presented at International Conference on Tourism Landscapes and Tourism in Marginal Areas in September 2013.

Funding

The research was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Research Funds of Renmin University of China [12XNI009] to Dr Min Jin.