Search Results (21)

Linear cultural heritage is characterized by complex cross-regional and multi-level features, facing severe challenges of spatial resource fragmentation and an imbalance in cultural and tourism functions. However, existing research lacks quantitative analysis regarding the non-linear driving mechanisms of spatial distribution and the misalignment of culture–tourism coupling. In this study, we construct an integrated identification–explanation–coupling–governance (IECG) theoretical framework. Taking The Great Tea Road (Jinzhong Section) as a case study, our framework integrates the CCSPM, XGBoost-SHAP machine learning interpreter, and Geodetector to systematically quantify the spatial structure of heritage and the level of culture–tourism integration. The results indicate that, (1) in terms of spatial patterns, the study area exhibits an unbalanced agglomeration characteristic of “dual-primary and dual-secondary cores,” with high-density areas showing significant orientation along rivers and roads; (2) regarding driving mechanisms, the machine learning model reveals a significant “non-linear threshold effect,” with 83% of driving factors (e.g., elevation and distance to transportation) exhibiting non-linear fluctuations in their influence on heritage distribution; and, (3) in terms of culture–tourism coupling, the overall coupling coordination degree (CCD) is low (mean 0.38), indicating significant “resource–facility” spatial misalignment. The modern number of public cultural facilities (NCF) is identified as the primary obstacle restricting the transformation of high-grade heritage into tourism products. Based on these findings, we propose adaptive zoning governance strategies. This research not only theoretically clarifies the complexity of the social–ecological system of linear heritage but also provides a generalizable quantitative method for the digital protection and sustainable tourism planning of cross-regional cultural heritage. Full article

With the deep integration of digital technology and the tourism industry, the transformation of the spatial form of smart tourism destinations and the research on their system structure have become the focus. This study adopts a mixed research approach, taking villages in the mountainous areas of southeastern China as examples, and collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and literature collection. This study draws on structuralist location theory to construct a four-dimensional spatial analysis model of natural environment, production economy, social norms and cultural values and incorporates a historical perspective to make up for the limitations of this theory in explaining regional dynamic changes caused by the lack of a time dimension. This study finds that digital tourism provides external resources such as the consumer market, tourism capital and information technology prompting the reconfiguration of the rural internal system. By absorbing external resources and upgrading traditional industries, rural areas have formed a more diversified, inclusive, and dynamically balanced spatial form. Furthermore, phenomena such as villagers’ relocation, e-commerce employment and local tea-growing knowledge indicate that certain predicaments still exist in the construction of digital tourism. This research can provide practical references for the development and spatial optimization of rural digital tourism. Full article

Rural revitalization relies on both industrial upgrading and cultural reinvigoration. Tea-culture–tourism integration has been regarded as a potentially effective route for advancing rural revitalization, yet its interactive relationship and dynamic evolution remain insufficiently understood. Based on provincial-level panel data from 18 major tea-producing provinces in China between 2013 and 2022, this study constructs two comprehensive evaluation index systems for tea–culture–tourism integration and rural revitalization. It employs the entropy weight method, the coupling coordination degree model, the Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition, and spatial econometric models to measure their coupling coordination degree and analyze its spatiotemporal pattern, regional disparities, and driving factors. The main findings are as follows: (1) Both tea–culture–tourism integration and rural revitalization exhibited upward trends, with the latter being consistently higher. (2) The coupling coordination degree transitioned from dissonance to coordination, spatially forming a gradient progression pattern of “coastal-river-inland”. (3) Regional disparities were primarily dominated by transvariation density and inter-regional differences. (4) Results of spatial econometric models indicated that fiscal conditions exerted a significant positive direct effect, while urban–rural social development, employment structure, and human capital generated significant positive direct and indirect effects. Full article

Wuyi Mountain in China is listed on the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List. With the vigorous development of urban cultural tourism, the sustainable development of heritage sites has become the focus of academic and industry circles, among which the rational use and scientific planning of natural resources have become increasingly prominent. In this context, in-depth research on resource development and protection strategies in the Wuyishan area has important practical significance and theoretical value. Therefore, this paper presents a case study of the tourist tea garden landscape design practice at the Wuyistar Chinese Tea Garden, located in Wuyishan City. This paper underscores the significance of incorporating the site’s existing natural environment resources, particularly its plant resources, into the tea garden landscape design, while adhering to principles within the framework of world heritage. The research method includes extensive field surveys combined with GIS analysis and biodiversity surveys, covering the topography and slope of the tea plantation, current natural resources, statistics on the number of tourists after completion, and the related benefits of local enterprises. These planning concepts are realized through a series of infrastructure measures, which are divided into four angles: restoring mountains and rivers, rereading cultural context, sorting out style and appearance, and improving functions. The design practice is carried out in different areas. Simultaneously, the creation of a distinctive tourist destination enables tourists to fully engage with nature and tea culture, while simultaneously fostering the growth of cultural tourism in world heritage sites. This study proposes a planning practice case, which provides a framework and ideas for designing tea gardens. From the aspects of resource protection and utilization, cultural inheritance and display, and tourism service improvement, it provides a model and method that can be used as a reference for the landscape design and planning of similar tea gardens, which will help promote the healthy development of the Chinese tea culture tourism industry. It also provides useful practical experience for the protection and development of world heritage sites. Full article

This ethnobotanical study examines the traditional knowledge and usage patterns of wild plants in the western Alps, specifically within the Ubaye and Bellino Valleys, through a comparative analysis of data collected from 1983 (published in 1990) to 2024. Our study aims to assess the change in plant usage, species diversity, and the changing roles of plants in local traditions in the western Alpine mountain ecosystems. While the 1983 survey documented medicinal uses centered around pastoralist practices, the 2024 data highlight a notable increase in the use of synanthropic plants, now utilized both medicinally and as food. Several species such as Allium sativum, Artemisia absinthium, and Urtica dioica have shown resilience and continuity in local cultural practices, maintaining medicinal, culinary, and ritual significance across the four decades. The 1983 survey documented the greatest variety of species (101), a number that decreased in subsequent studies. The 2009 survey identified 36 species not previously recorded in 1983, and the 2024 field study noted an additional 20 species. The study highlights the economic potential of several wild species in these alpine areas, such as Achillea, Artemisia, Verbascum, Veronica, Viola, Polygonum, Bunium, and Sorbus spp., which could be utilized for creating new herbal teas, artisanal beers, liqueurs, ice creams, sweets, and seasoned food products. Expanding the uses of these plants could not only preserve ethnobotanical knowledge but also stimulate local economies and support sustainable development in alpine communities. The documented temporal shifts in plant usage reflect broader cultural, ecological, and socio-economic changes, underscoring the importance of preserving biodiversity and traditional knowledge amidst ongoing environmental and societal shifts. This study underlines the need to conserve ethnobotanical heritage while adapting to the evolving landscape of the region. Future research could focus on exploring the role of these species in broader sustainability initiatives, including conservation strategies, ecosystem services, and community-based tourism while continuing to document the cultural dynamics influencing plant usage. Full article

The identity of community residents is the basis for passing on the GIAHS (globally important agricultural heritage system) and promoting the sustainable development of heritage sites. However, there is a lack of discussion in the existent literature on its composition and effective mechanisms. Based on the theory of the ABC (Affect–Behavior–Cognition) model, we collected 482 questionnaires from residents of tea communities of the GIAHS. We construct a model of multiple effects of identity on willingness to co-create values based on the perspective of host–guest interaction. The results show that identity has both social identity and self-identity dimensions. It has a valuable effect on the process of host–guest interaction. It stimulates residents’ willingness to co-create value for the GIAHS through the chain-mediating effect of welcoming nature and emotional closeness. The study results reveal the theoretical mechanisms by which the identity of residents influences the multiple behaviors of guests. It also provides an interactive perspective for the study of the participation of the community in the GIAHS. At the same time, it promotes the local practice of value mining and development research in the GIAHS. In addition, it expands the research framework of value co-creation in heritage tourism. Full article

The study aimed to explore the relationship and interaction between humans and nature in specific areas. Latent Dirichlet allocation topic recognition and SnowNLP sentiment analysis were used to extract the topics and analyze the sentiments from visitors’ online reviews of Wuyishan National Park. The conclusions were as follows: (1) The tourists mainly expressed positive emotions toward Wuyishan National Park, and the tourists acknowledged its ecological environment and natural and cultural heritage value. (2) The tourists’ comments focused on four themes: tourism activities and facilities, natural and cultural heritage value, characteristic tourism products, and tourism management and services. Natural experience was the main tourism activity in Wuyishan National Park, while cultural activities were related to the tea culture. (3) The tourist facilities, ticket and reservation mechanism, and management and services of Wuyishan National Park were the main concerns of the tourists. The study suggested that Wuyishan National Park could be transformed from a tourist destination into a comprehensive national park that provides recreational experiences and environmental education. This should be conducted by (1) developing detailed natural and cultural education and experience products and (2) improving public service functions and enhancing the public welfare of the national park. Full article

Forests drive tourism growth in China, offering ecologic and economic benefits over urbanization trends. Wellness tourism, aligned with UN goals, thrives in forest settings, though challenges remain, particularly in the underinvested forest regions of Western China. This study aims to identify and rank the forest wellness tourism industry development strategies for Chongqing Tea Mountain and Bamboo Forest National Park in China. The SWOT method was used to construct the strategy, while the AHP method and QSPM matrix were used to rank the selected strategies. The data used in the analysis were the survey questionnaire data of 356 individuals to construct the model to identify the strategies, and the interview data of 23 experts to rate the strategies using the Delphi method. The effectiveness of eight internal and seven external factors for forest wellness tourism was evaluated. The survey results highlight the most significant advantages of the Chongqing Tea Mountains and Bamboo Forest as being its “beautiful natural and unique scenery”, and its most significant shortcomings as its “insufficient supporting facilities and weak infrastructure”. The QSPM matrix analysis reveals that the ‘offensive strategy’ is the best. The results also emphasize the importance of “Protecting the diverse tourism resources to keep the market prospect and promote wellness industry development” in the study areas. Therefore, the potential of developing forest wellness tourism in this area should be considered and included in the agenda of policy makers to strengthen the development of forest wellness tourism, improve the economic status of the tourism of the jurisdiction, and create employment opportunities in tourism-related businesses. Full article

Tea tourism has gained prominence recently, particularly with the recognition of traditional Chinese tea processing techniques as an intangible cultural heritage. Nevertheless, as a niche form of tourism, knowledge gaps persist regarding the understanding of tea tourists’ perceptions of the tourism environment and their subsequent impact on behavior intentions. Underpinned by affordance theory, this study aims to investigate the role of tourism environment affordance in shaping behavior intentions through emotional value and cultural identity. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to analyze survey data collected from 296 online responses provided by tea tourists. The key findings are as follows: (1) tea tourists primarily visit sites like a tea village, tea garden, and tea house, typically once or twice annually, with visits lasting 2–4 or 4–8 h; (2) convenient transportation and facilities, educational opportunities, and well-designed environments emerge as the most influential aspects of tourism environment affordance; and (3) tourism environment affordance significantly influences emotional value and cultural identity, and these in turn act as mediators between tourism environment affordance and behavior intentions. Therefore, this study expands the application of affordance theory to tea tourism by elucidating how perceptions of tourism environment affordance impact tea tourists’ behavior intentions and it deepens our understanding of the flow of cultural ecosystem services. Additionally, it underscores the pivotal role of tourism in providing cultural ecosystem services for preserving intangible cultural heritage and nurturing cultural identity. Practical implications for promoting tea tourism as cultural ecosystem services are also gleaned from our findings. Full article

This paper aimed to explore the potentiality of creative tea beverages as a new tourism attraction and the determinants of tourists’ repurchase intention towards creative tea beverages using the dual process theory. The structural–causal relationship among these constructs was examined using structural equation modeling with the data collected from 478 tourists with previous experience of consuming creative tea beverages. The results support the conclusion that the creativity and quantity of the information about tea beverages spread by electronic word-of-mouth significantly contributes to evoking consumers’ emotions, and the evoked emotions significantly influence consumers’ repurchase intention towards tea beverages. Furthermore, other-oriented face constructs also play a crucial role in determining consumers’ repurchase intention. Theoretical and marketing implications are also discussed in this paper. Full article

Tea culture tourism is a product of the combination of agricultural tourism and ecotourism. After the COVID-19 period, this product is more and more popular. Tourism performance is an important index for measuring the development level of tourist destinations, and research on the influencing factors of tourism performance is an important way to promote the high-quality development of tea culture tourism. Using the tea tourism town of Wushan as a case study, 452 valid questionnaires were used as research data, and exploratory factor analysis, paired sample t-test and IPA analysis were applied. The results indicate that: (1) tourism performance is mainly divided into 5 dimensions and 22 specific indicators, including service quality, resource environment, tourism transportation, tourism-supporting facilities and tea tourism products; (2) there is a significant difference between the degree of importance and performance of visitors to each indicator, and the overall tourism performance of the case sites at an average level; (3) convenient service, professional service, business management, park traffic, parking conditions, environmental design, shopping environment, tea quality, and tea culture characteristics are potential advantageous factors, and ‘service with a smile’, accessibility, trail layout, overall image, air quality, natural scenery, landscape vignettes, network communication, public toilets, sanitation facilities, tourist service centers, tea travel activities, and tourism souvenirs are areas in need of improvement. Full article

Underpinned by Script Theory and the S-O-R model, this research enhances the green tourism consumption literature to identify how destination service quality contributes to visitors’ memorable experiences and loyalty towards a place-based food tourism attraction. A total of 202 tourists who visited the Best of Highlands tea plantation in Malaysia were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Using PLS-SEM, this study has several notable findings: (i) destination service quality factors: activities, cleanliness, language, and security emerged as predictors of memorable tourism experiences; (ii) memorable tourism experiences strongly predicted destination loyalty; and (iii) memorable tourism experiences mediate the path between destination service quality and destination loyalty. This study therefore provides new insights into both sustainable tea tourism and script theory with respect to how memories guide future decision making. These results also provide insights for tea tourism providers in designing an unforgettable destination that stimulates the tourist’s intention to revisit the destination and to communicate it to others. Full article

This study aims to clarify a new endogenous model of geocultural villages by examining land use change, industrial transformation, and their impacts on rural society and the economy of Baiyankeng village, Zhejiang Province, China. This empirical study focuses on the actions of residents and their effects after Baiyankeng was registered as the pilot geocultural village in China. To address the dual configuration of urban/rural areas and three-dimensional rural issues, the Chinese government released a set of policies for rural vitalization in the early 2000s, which included the establishment and promotion of geocultural villages in 2013. This study found that the local leadership—the township government and the village committee—played a significant role in leveraging the unique geological resources of the village. They aggressively pitched for Baiyankeng village to be recognized as the first-ever geocultural village, and successfully established an effective model of self-governance that empowered villagers to actively and enthusiastically participate in the process. By doing so, they successfully created a booming tourism industry while boosting local production of Chinese Torreya nuts and green tea. From the perspective of the land system in China, the mechanism of geocultural villages (henceforth known as rural geoparks) in this study shows new endogeneities of rural vitalization in China. Full article

Packaging is crucial for presenting the image of tea tourism destinations. The public version of tea packaging with images of tea sightseeing spots was pervasive, and builds the impression to tourists that they have visited a certain destination. However, with the rise of independent brand thinking and sensory stimulation consumption, the form of tea packaging in the public version has changed to be based on tourists’ purchasing preferences, leading to the diversity of the packaging style and pattern, and the public version of tea packaging gradually loses the function of promoting brand images. Based on the rooted land of oriental tea culture, this research has the following aims: (1) to construct the concept of “Relational Space for Sustainable Public Version of Tea Packaging and its Concept” through a literature review and field investigation; (2) to give contributions to the improvement of the visual aspect of the existing public packaging of tea; (3) to integrate the image of the destination and the private brand image of tea farmers with the public version of tea packaging to enhance the perception and attraction of tourists to the brand image of tea tourism destinations; (4) to design, operate, and test the concept discussed in this study by utilizing experimental design and questionnaire survey and propose application guidelines for this concept design. The results of the study are as follows: (1) The destination images and geographical symbols of the existing public packaging of tea are beneficial to the promotion of the destination image; however, the visual elements that make up these packages are not conducive to the cultural richness of the destination because of their single relational context, which leads to the solidification of the destination image. (2) The design application guidelines proposed in this study present the concept of destination branding and private branding as a complement to each other by adjusting the packaging layout to create a mutually beneficial partnership visually embodied in the public tea packaging design. Packaging accessories are central to the partnership between the destination and the local industry, and the public tea packaging design created by this concept creates a richness and specificity of the destination’s brand image. In this way, the destination’s industry and brand image will develop in a diverse and multifaceted way to achieve the sustainability of the destination’s industry. Full article