strategies for rural tourism development

Rural rising: Economic development strategies for America’s heartland

In downtown Clarksdale, Mississippi, in a repurposed freight depot built in 1918 for the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, sits the Delta Blues Museum. The state’s oldest music museum, it is central to the growing tourism industry in the Mississippi Delta, “the land where the blues began”—once home to John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. Yet on March 18, 2020, as the COVID-19 crisis escalated across the United States, the museum was forced to temporarily close its doors. Tourism across the country slowed to a trickle, and Clarksdale’s Coahoma County—85 miles from Memphis, 77 percent Black, and with 35 percent of its population living in poverty as of 2019—suddenly lost one of its main sources of income and employment. 1 “S1701: Poverty status in the past 12 months,” American Community Survey, US Census Bureau, 2019. By April 2020, the county’s unemployment rate had reached about 20 percent. 2 “Unemployment rate in Coahoma County, MS,” retrieved from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, March 8, 2022.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 miles northwest, in rural Chase County, Nebraska, the unemployment rate in April 2020 was only 2.2 percent. Businesses struggled to fill positions and attract workers; the poverty rate in Chase County was lower than the US average and remains so today. 3 “Unemployment rate in Coahoma County, MS,” retrieved from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, March 8, 2022.

As these stories show, rural America is not one geographical unit but a mosaic of different landscapes, people, and economic realities. 4 America at work: A national mosaic and roadmap for tomorrow , Walmart, February 2019. It includes agricultural powerhouses, postindustrial towns, and popular tourism enclaves. Some rural communities are relatively close to major cities, while others are hundreds of miles from the nearest urban hub. Some have thriving workforces and a handful of economic anchors, while others face declining populations and some of the lowest living standards in the country. Some benefit from endowments such as energy resources and beautiful landscapes, while others have few natural amenities.

Rural America is not one geographical unit but a mosaic of different landscapes, people, and economic realities.

Below, we examine the types of rural communities in the United States and suggest that attention to three foundational elements—sectors, workforce, and community and connectivity—can promote economic success. We then outline a data-driven approach to economic development that can be tailored to meet the needs of different communities and share examples of initiatives that have led to positive outcomes in rural communities throughout North America.

Tracking growth across rural America’s five community archetypes

In collaboration with Walmart, we’ve identified five archetypes of rural American communities (Exhibit 1). 5 America at work: A national mosaic and roadmap for tomorrow , Walmart, February 2019.

Americana.  The largest rural community archetype, comprising 879 counties and 40 million Americans, Americana counties have slightly lower GDP and educational outcomes than urban areas. They are relatively close to major cities and often include several major employers.

Distressed Americana.  Distressed Americana communities comprise 18 million people living in 973 counties (many in the South) facing high levels of poverty, low labor force participation, and low educational attainment. Historically, these communities have been hubs for agriculture, extractive industries, and manufacturing. Their decline has mirrored the struggles in these sectors.

Rural Service Hubs.  Rural Service Hubs are so named because the areas (often close to highways or railways) are home to manufacturing and service industries. Because these hub communities typically serve surrounding counties that are more rural, they tend to specialize in industries such as retail and healthcare.

Great Escapes.   Great Escapes are the smallest but most well off of the rural archetypes, home to wealthy enclaves and tourist destinations. They comprise 14 counties and 300,000 people. While the focus on tourism in Great Escapes communities results in many low-paying service jobs, their GDP, household income, and educational attainment outpace their rural peers.

Resource-Rich Regions.  This category comprises 177 counties that are home to almost one million people. As the name suggests, these communities are defined by economic reliance on oil and gas or mining, often alongside high rates of agricultural production. Due in part to the value of the resources, household income, GDP per capita, and educational attainment in Resource-Rich Regions tend to be higher than average.

Over the past ten years, the populations of all archetypes except for Distressed Americana have grown (Exhibit 2). Resource-Rich Regions in places such as West Texas and North Dakota have seen some of the fastest growth. For example, since 2010, the populations of McKenzie County, North Dakota, and Loving County, Texas, have grown by 134 percent and 104 percent respectively, while median household incomes have increased by nearly half in nominal terms. 6 Data Buffet, Moody’s Analytics.

Yet while the population of Loving County soared, Concho County, Texas, another Resource-Rich Region, witnessed a 33 percent decline in population over the past decade. Approximately two-thirds of Resource-Rich Region counties faced similar, though often less precipitous, declines. 7 Data Buffet, Moody’s Analytics.

Counties where residents typically have access to world-class natural amenities, which are often among the Great Escapes, have been among the most uniformly successful since 2010. The appropriately named Summit County, Colorado, is home to one of the greatest concentrations of ski resorts in the world, featuring Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin. Over the past decade, the county’s population has grown by 11 percent and median household income has increased by 54 percent. 8 Data Buffet, Moody’s Analytics.

Gallatin County, Montana, home to Bozeman, is a Rural Service Hub, though it also features the world-class natural amenities common to Great Escapes. It contains Big Sky Resort and is one of the gateways to Yellowstone National Park. The county, particularly the city of Bozeman, has seen a significant influx of remote workers during the pandemic, which may have contributed to a jump in housing prices of more than one-third since the beginning of 2020. 9 “Gallatin County home values,” Zillow, updated on January 31, 2022.

Meanwhile, Pender County, an Americana region on the southern coast of North Carolina, achieved 22 percent population growth from 2010 to 2020 while positioning itself as a logistics hub. Pender Commerce Park, a 450-acre industrial center developed as part of a partnership between Pender County and Wilmington Business Development, attracted FedEx Freight in 2018. 10 “FedEx Freight coming to Pender Commerce Park,” Pender County, North Carolina, February 5, 2018.

Rural counties’ wide range of economic performance over the past decade reinforces that there is no one-size-fits-all playbook for growth. Instead, we have identified some of the fundamental characteristics that thriving counties tend to share, even as the appearance or impact of the characteristics varies from place to place.

Elements of a thriving rural community

Rural communities require three interconnected, baseline elements to thrive: sectors, workforce, and community and connectivity (Exhibit 3). Rural economic development initiatives typically tie into one or more of these key elements.

Sectors.   Sectors refer to stable or growing tradable industries that bring wealth into communities, create employment opportunities, and carry strong multiplier effects that support the overall economy. Thriving rural communities play to their region’s strengths, supporting sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, energy, tourism, and postsecondary education.

Workforce.   People are the lifeblood of any community. A healthy, skilled workforce is the most important factor in attracting and retaining employers in key sectors. 11 Ron Starner, “More than some like it hot,” Site Selection , January 2018. In addition, workers spread wealth and create additional jobs by buying goods and services within their communities.

Community and connectivity.  The most intangible element, community and connectivity includes services and amenities critical to quality of life, such as transportation infrastructure and access to broadband, healthcare, childcare, and arts and culture. Because these assets support the workforce, they are essential to developing thriving sectors.

While thriving communities are succeeding across all three elements, more narrow or focused efforts can still catalyze economic growth. For example, even if job creation is low or GDP growth has plateaued in a community, improving residents’ quality of life can slow outmigration and attract thriving sectors in the future.

Creating an economic development strategy

Creating an economic development strategy for a rural area is similar to doing so in other places. It is a multistep process that requires assessing the current state of the region, identifying the value proposition, evaluating existing programs, and establishing partnerships and rural hubs. When those steps have been taken, communities will be in a position to prioritize specific initiatives.

Assess the current state of the region

Before engaging in an economic development strategy, it is important to understand the current state of a region, its competitive position, and its strengths and challenges. This requires using quantitative data from sources such as the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the National Center for Education Statistics and qualitative data from sources such as stakeholder interviews to assess regional performance across a variety of metrics. The framework in Exhibit 3 provides a starting point. Regions can be assessed by sector, including factors such as employment rate, GDP, specialization, and growth by industry; workforce, including a demographic breakdown, employment by occupation, and educational attainment; and community and connectivity, including factors such as transportation infrastructure and access to broadband, childcare, and healthcare.

With these data, policy makers can understand their region’s strengths and challenges relative to other regions and begin to focus on assets, or competitive advantage, and potential barriers to development.

Identify the value proposition

After the diagnostic phase has resulted in a picture of a region’s strengths and challenges, the next step is formulating the value proposition, which is part of a strengths-based approach to economic development. The value proposition is about creating a regional story line that answers questions such as: Why would someone live here? Why would a company locate here? Why would someone visit? The value proposition can take many forms across sectors, the workforce, and community and connectivity. For instance, it may be a high-performing local talent pool, a knack for retaining and growing local businesses, an ability to build partnerships to attract investment, or distinctive industry clusters. The value proposition for residents might include a strong local community, a high quality of life, or access to natural amenities. The most effective economic development strategies leverage and develop a region’s strengths and reinforce its value proposition.

Evaluate existing programs and initiatives

Any one region can be affected by multiple programs and initiatives, including those from federal, state, and local governments and from groups such as chambers of commerce and business improvement districts. Policy makers may want to take stock of existing programs before developing new initiatives to avoid reinventing the wheel. Key questions to ask include: What does this program cover? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Can it be improved? Is it possible to increase engagement? Successful economic development strategies often leverage existing efforts or improve them incrementally by updating programs or increasing participation. An analysis of a region’s current programs also reveals genuine gaps that can be addressed with new initiatives.

Establish partnerships and rural hubs

Rural regions often include multiple stakeholders, such as governments, nonprofits, and educational institutions, that have a—sometimes overlapping—hand in the three foundational elements of economic development noted above. In addition, multiple communities within a broader region may have shared economic needs. Partnerships in rural areas can therefore allow communities to direct limited resources and expertise to shared initiatives. When regions and institutions band together, they create economies of scale, also called rural hubs.

Designing rural economic development initiatives

Rural regions are not monoliths, so rural economic development strategies will vary. The approach outlined above will help leaders identify their region’s unique strengths, challenges, and assets that can be formed into cohesive value propositions. That said, many broad economic development initiatives can be tailored to meet the needs of different regions. Below is a nonexhaustive list of initiatives that may apply to rural regions, based on their specific assets and needs.

Launch ‘big push’ investment

The idea of the “big push” is to funnel a significant amount of investment into a particular area of need to create a sustainable, long-term, virtuous cycle of economic growth. This can take many forms but is most frequently associated with the attraction of a major employer or the construction of large-scale infrastructure. Due to its size, big-push investment usually requires involvement and funding from an overarching government body, such as the state or federal government.

An example of big-push investment in electric vehicles can be found in Tennessee. The state has offered Ford Motors and its partner, South Korea–based SK Innovation, hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to develop BlueOval City, a site for the production of electric pickup trucks and advanced batteries. Leaders expect the project to create nearly 6,000 jobs in Stanton, Tennessee, a town within Distressed Americana Haywood County. 12 Morgan Watkins, “Here are the incentives Kentucky and Tennessee used to lure Ford’s new factories,” Louisville Courier Journal , October 11, 2021; “Ford to lead America’s shift to electric vehicles with new mega campus in Tennessee and twin battery plants in Kentucky; $11.4B investment to create 11,000 new jobs and power new lineup of advanced EVs,” Ford Motor Company, September 27, 2021.

Embrace placemaking

Residents want to live in communities that are safe, interesting, and attractive. Placemaking means creating those environments. It is, by one definition, “the process of creating quality places that people want to live, work, play, and learn in.” 13 Robert Steuteville, “Four types of placemaking,” Better Cities & Towns, October 2014.

Funding for placemaking efforts can come from a variety of sources, including private groups and local, state, or federal governments. For instance, the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge made available $3 million (with a maximum grant of $250,000) to rural areas for technical assistance related to placemaking. 14 “Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge,” US Department of Agriculture, updated on July 26, 2021. Like their urban counterparts, many rural cities and towns have seen success in creating business improvement districts (BIDs), small-scale economic development organizations often funded by local stakeholders, such as businesses. BIDs deliver services in a particular area, often at the neighborhood or “Main Street” level. The services might include street cleaning, public safety, beautification, or events.

One example of placemaking comes from Douglas, Georgia, a city of roughly 12,000 people about 115 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Florida. It is the county seat of Coffee County, characterized as Distressed Americana. 15 How small towns and cities can use local assets to rebuild their economies: Lessons from successful places , US Environmental Protection Agency, May 2015. In the late 1980s, Douglas faced downtown vacancy rates of about 25 percent. In response, the city restored historic facades (funded by an initial $10,000 from the city and the local industrial development authority), replaced sidewalks, and added lighting. Today, Douglas’s downtown is a community gathering place where festivals take place regularly. Walking paths connect the downtown area to local community colleges. By 2012, the vacancy rate had dropped to 6 percent, thanks in part to 12 newly opened businesses downtown. Surrounding areas of the county gained nearly 8,000 new residents between 1990 and 2000, increasing the county’s growth rate to 26 percent—up from 11 percent between 1980 and 1990. 16 US Census Bureau, “Resident population in Coffee County, GA,” retrieved from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, updated on May 5, 2021.

Develop tourism infrastructure

Tourism is technically an export sector—it draws in spending from outside the region to generate economic growth. Some rural communities can leverage existing assets, such as state or national parks, to capture tourism value. Others can use their environment or location to create a reason for tourists to visit.

Crosby, Minnesota, is 125 miles north of Minneapolis and home to just shy of 3,000 people. The town was a hub for iron ore mining until the industry collapsed a half-century ago. In the 1980s, leaders from Cuyuna Range Economic Development Inc., a regional economic development organization, and other stakeholders petitioned the state to create a recreation area on the former mine sites and surrounding land. 17 Dan Kraker, “From mining to biking: How Minnesota’s Cuyuna Range became an off-road cycling destination,” Minnesota Public Radio, October 7, 2016. The Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area was officially established in 1993. In 2011, it became the state’s first mountain bike park, featuring 25 miles of trails. Since 2011, 15 new businesses—including a brewery, a yoga studio, and a farm-to-table restaurant—have opened in Crosby, largely serving the tens of thousands of annual visitors to the trail system. Once the trails reach completion at 75 miles, leaders anticipate a local economic impact of $21 million. 18 Nicholas Hunt, “How biking is saving small-town USA,” Outside , May 15, 2017.

Attract, retain, and expand small and medium-size businesses

Sixty-five percent of workers in nonmetropolitan areas are employed by small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), a higher share than in the nation as a whole. 19 Hanna Love and Mike Powe, “Rural small businesses need local solutions to survive,” Brookings Institution, December 1, 2020. These companies provide benefits to communities beyond direct employment. SMEs generate local wealth, because profits go to the owner, who is more likely to live and spend locally than shareholders of a large corporation. 20 Devra Gartenstein, “Reasons why small businesses are important,” Houston Chronicle , January 28, 2019. Rural communities with a relatively high share of SMEs also tend to have better health outcomes. 21 Troy Blanchard, Carson Mencken, and Charles Tolbert, “The health and wealth of US counties: How the small business environment impacts alternative measures of development,” Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society , March 2012, Volume 5, Number 1.

While attracting new businesses generates local excitement, expanding and retaining SMEs has a higher return on investment, in part because existing businesses do not require tax incentives to move to the area. Local businesses are stalwarts of the community, paying economic dividends through local taxes and job creation. Leaders can initiate a business retention and expansion strategy by collecting qualitative data from interviews with entrepreneurs about expansion plans and business challenges. In addition, economic development practitioners can support SMEs by helping them access loans and grants, navigate regulatory requirements, write business plans, plan for succession, and connect to large companies doing procurement in the region.

Local businesses are stalwarts of the community, paying economic dividends through local taxes and job creation.

Northern Development Initiative Trust, an economic development agency representing rural Northern British Columbia, has made SME support a core part of its mission. The agency offers programs such as the Competitiveness Consulting Rebate, which helps SMEs recover up to 50 percent of costs (to a yearly maximum of CA $30,000 [US $23,400]) 22 Converted on March 7, 2022; “Competitiveness Consulting Rebate,” Northern Development Initiative Trust, accessed December 15, 2021. for external business consulting on services such as website creation, marketing strategy, and workplace health and safety plans. Thus far, the program has allotted more than CA $5.5 million (US $4.3 million) to SMEs across 552 projects. A complementary program, the Northern Industries Innovation Fund, supports regional SMEs’ innovation projects, such as providing funds to develop a technical process to adapt forestry equipment for drilling. 23 “Northern Industries Innovation Fund,” Northern Development Initiative Trust, accessed December 15, 2021.

Attract remote workers

Many companies have adopted long-term remote work strategies prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and employees’ desire for flexibility. These strategies primarily affect knowledge workers, who tend to be highly educated and high earning. Historically, remote workers have flocked to smaller communities with natural amenities. A 2018 Gallup poll showed that 27 percent of Americans would prefer to live in a rural area. 24 Frank Newport, “Americans big on idea of living in the country,” Gallup News, December 7, 2018. This presents an opportunity for rural communities to make strategic investments to attract remote workers. Some investments, such as strong broadband infrastructure, may be a requirement. Others, such as assets related to quality of life or outdoor recreation, may carry varying weight depending on the region.

Some regions offer direct financial incentives to remote workers who relocate. For example, the Shoals region includes Lauderdale and Colbert Counties in rural Northwest Alabama. Remote Shoals, a partnership launched in 2019 between the Shoals Chamber of Commerce and the Shoals Economic Development Authority, offers participants a stipend of up to $10,000 to move to the region and work remotely for at least 12 months. 25 “Work remotely? Get $10,000 to do your job from the Shoals,” Shoals Economic Development Authority, accessed December 15, 2021. The program received more than 200 applications from 33 states in 2019 and 500 applications in 2020. 26 Jared Lindzon, “Cities offer cash as they compete for new residents amid remote work boom,” Fast Company , June 22, 2020; Anna Eubanks, “Remote work possibilities draw traffic to the Shoals,” Shoals Chamber of Commerce, January 22, 2021. By March 2021, the total payroll of those in the program was $1.8 million. 27 DeAndria Turner, “Remote Shoals thriving in the midst of COVID-19,” WAFF 48 News, March 24, 2021.

Increase access to healthcare

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, significant disparities in health outcomes exist between urban and rural America, with residents of rural communities more likely to die from ailments such as heart disease and cancer. 28 “About Rural Health,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated on August 2, 2017. Limited access to healthcare in rural regions is one of the drivers of this imbalance. 29 “Rural health disparities,” Rural Health Information Hub, updated on April 22, 2019. However, many rural regions are working to address this challenge by making it easier for patients to access care—virtually or in person—and by training the next generation of rural healthcare workers.

Project ECHO, based at the University of New Mexico, uses a combination of telemedicine, case-based learning, and web-based disease management tools to offer treatment for people with chronic diseases at more than 250 sites across the state. 30 Martha Hostetter, “Case study: Project ECHO expands access to specialty care for rural patients,” Commonwealth Fund, accessed December 15, 2021. The program saves many rural residents from long trips to hospitals in more urban areas to receive specialized care. In Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Tuskegee University, in partnership with rural community clinics, train registered nurses in three identified areas of health professional shortages. The effort became particularly relevant during the COVID-19 crisis. 31 Jennifer Lollar, “$2.8M grant will establish primary care RN workforce,” University of Alabama at Birmingham, August 29, 2018.

Rural America is indeed a mosaic. From a distance, it is often idealized but misrepresented. Upon closer examination, it reveals a diversity of colors and images. It is not one place but thousands—each community with its own identity, culture, strengths, and challenges. Some rural regions are thriving, while others have yet to fully capture their potential value. But all rural areas could benefit from an economic development plan that strengthens sectors, the workforce, and community and connectivity.

Mike Kerlin is a partner in McKinsey’s Philadelphia office; Neil O’Farrell is a specialist in the New York office; Rachel Riley is an associate partner in the Washington, DC, office; and Rachel Schaff is a client capabilities manager in the Waltham office.

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Tourism and Rural Development

• All Regions
• 29 Sep 2020

Tourism’s many benefits must be felt outside of urban areas for the sector to fulfil its potential to provide opportunities for all: That was the key message of World Tourism Day 2020 as UNWTO united the global community around the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”.

Around the world, tourism is a lifeline for rural communities, providing jobs, supporting rural businesses and protecting natural and cultural heritage. World Tourism Day 2020 emphasized the role the sector will play in helping rural areas recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and build for the future.

Messages promoting the day were shared by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, His Holiness Pope Francis , UNWTO’s network of Ambassadors, including Spanish football star Iker Casillas, heads of Government including Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and UN agencies and international organizations, from UNESCO and ITC to the OECD and IATA.

‘A lifeline for rural communities’

Tourism has proven to be a lifeline for many rural communities, but its true force still needs to be fully deployed

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Tourism has proven to be a lifeline for many rural communities, but its true force still needs to be fully deployed . This World Tourism Day highlighted our sector’s unique ability to reach those who would otherwise be left behind, providing opportunities for all, transforming lives and protecting the cultural heritage that makes us human.”

The celebration was hosted by the MERCOSUR nations (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile as associate member), the first time in the 40-year-history of history of the international day of observance that hosting duties have been shared.

Ministers show shared commitment

Germán Cardoso, Minister of Tourism for Uruguay, highlighted rural tourism’s importance for helping countries diversify their markets, noting it offers “sensitive and emotional experiences” for visitors alongside its benefits for the communities themselves. The Minister of Tourism for Argentina Matías Lammen noted that “tourism in South America is regional…whoever visits us usually visits more than one country”, making a joined-up approach to building a “greener future” essential. Marcelo Alvaro Antonio, Minister of Tourism for Brazil, singled out the importance of innovation and investment and the “power of ecotourism and adventure tourism”. For Paraguay, Minister Sofía Elizabeth Montiel de Afara, reaffirmed her government’s “commitment to the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, and its emphasis on working with local communities. The Under-Secretary of Tourism for Chile, José Luis Uriarte, similarly pledged to use tourism to “support rural communities suffering from the economic and social repercussions of this pandemic.”

Taking part in the round-table discussion that followed were Mario Alberto González Sanchez, Director of Mexican Secretariat of Tourism, and the Chilean chef and UNWTO Special Ambassador, Pilar Rodriguez. Joining them were Lisandro Menu-Marque, Director at Globalia, and Shannon Stowell, CEO of the Professional Adventure Travel Association and the Adventure Travel Fund of the USA.

UNWTO: Guiding recovery and rewarding innovation

UNWTO used the occasion of World Tourism Day to launch its new Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development . The new publication outlines the key steps destinations can take to fully harness the potential of tourism to help drive social and economic recovery outside of urban areas.

Recognising the important role new ideas and technology will play in this, UNWTO also announced the winners of its Rural Tourism Innovation Competition. Organized with the Government of Spain, Google Spain and the Federation of Rural Women’s Associations (FADEMUR). The competition attracted more than 130 applications from across Spain. Almost half of applications (43%) were put forward by women. My Street Book won the prize in the Innovation category, and the winner of the prize for the start-up with the biggest social impact was Van Woow .

Related Links

• Download the press release in PDF
• World Tourism Day 2020
• Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development
• World Tourism Day: UNWTO Secretary-General Official Message
• World Tourism Day: UN Secretary-General Official Message

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Related content, over 260 applications from 60+ countries: best tourism ..., unwto launches new tool to promote collaboration among ..., ‘best tourism villages’ of 2022 named by unwto, unwto opens call for ‘best tourism villages’.

Sustainability in Rural Tourism: The Strategic Perspective of Owners

• Conference paper
• First Online: 24 June 2022
• Cite this conference paper

• Hugo Machado 6 ,
• Laurentina Vareiro   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8945-1593 6 , 7 ,
• Raquel Mendes   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7312-5248 6 , 7 &
• Bruno Sousa   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8588-2422 6 , 7 , 8  

Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 293))

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There is a multiplicity of reasons and purposes behind the growing demand for rural tourism experiences. The personalised encounter between place, people/culture, and guests. As expected, the rural accommodation and the village context can also play a central role in the quality of the tourism experience in these areas. Experience in the tourism context is co-created and experienced by several agents, i.e., in the involvement of all stakeholders, these being: tourists, local population, and service providers in the sector. Rural tourism emerges as an excellent alternative for several tourists, whose preferences are essentially based on the sustainability of tourist spaces as the differentiating factor when planning their trips. This study aims to understand the knowledge, valuation, and sustainability strategies adopted by the owners of Rural Tourism (RT) units in the “Quadrilátero do Minho”. For these purposes, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the owners/managers of nine units of RT in the “Quadrilátero do Minho”. Results show that the owners of the RT units in the “Quadrilátero do Minho” reveal a limited view on the concept of sustainability, essentially associating it to the economic and/or environmental aspect, neglecting the sociocultural dimension. With regard to the adopted sustainability policies, the most frequently mentioned were solar panels, recycling, led lights, organic production, combustion boxes, washing management, and help in local production. Owners agreed that they believe in the benefits of this type of policy transfer to the unit, important because tourism is a key sector in the sustainable development of rural environments.

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• Published: 13 May 2024

The influence of rural tourism landscape perception on tourists’ revisit intentions—a case study in Nangou village, China

• Yuxiao Kou 1 &
• Xiaojie Xue 1  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  620 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Environmental studies

Rural tourism development has an important impact on optimizing the rural industrial structure and stimulating local economic growth. China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy has promoted the development of rural tourism nationwide and emphasized Chinese characteristics in the process of local development. Based on the theoretical analysis of landscape perception, this article uses the external Landscape Perception→Satisfaction→Revisit Intention influence path as a theoretical research framework to construct a structural equation model to analyze the willingness of tourists to revisit rural tourism destinations. We selected Nangou Village, Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province, as a key model village for rural revitalization, and conducted an empirical analysis. The empirical analysis results show that landscape perception has a significant positive impact on satisfaction and revisit intention. Tourist satisfaction has a significant positive impact on revisit intention and plays an intermediary role between landscape perception and revisit intention. The five dimensions of natural ecology, historical culture, leisure recreation, research experience, and integral route under landscape perception are all significantly positively correlated with revisit intention, with historical culture and integral route having the greatest impact on landscape perception. The survey about Nangou Village verifies the relationship between landscape perception, satisfaction, and tourists’ revisit intention. Based on the objective data analysis results, this study puts forward suggestions for optimizing Nangou Village’s tourism landscapes and improving tourists’ willingness to revisit from three aspects: deeply excavating rural historical and cultural resources, shaping the national red culture brand, and creating rural tourism boutique routes. It is hoped that the quantitative research method of landscape perception theory in Nangou Village can also provide a reference and inspiration for similar rural tourism planning.

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Introduction.

Rural tourism, which originated in Europe in the mid-19th century (He, 2003 ), has constructed a new type of urban–rural relationship—the attachment of the cities to the countryside and the integration of the countryside with the city (Liu, 2018 ). In the 1990s, with the continuous improvement of China’s urbanization level, rural tourism began to rise in response to the demand for returning to nature and simplicity (Guo and Han, 2010 ). The main body of rural tourism (i.e., the main target) is urban residents, and its object is a combination of enjoying the agricultural ecological environment, agricultural production activities, and traditional folk customs. These are presented through tourism industry planning and landscape product design, which is based on the unique production, life, and ecological resources in the countryside, and integrates sightseeing, participation, leisure, vacation, recuperation, entertainment, shopping, and other tourism activities (Zhang, 2006 ).

Rural tourism development is of great significance for optimizing the industrial structure in rural areas, realizing the linked development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, increasing farmers’ income, stimulating rural economic development, and accelerating the integration of urban and rural areas (Lu et al., 2019 ). Since the implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy, China has taken increasing rural tourism as one of the important ways to achieve it (Yin and Li, 2018 ) and has launched construction projects nationwide.

Rural tourism in China started with self-organized agritainment, with farming experiences and sightseeing leisure as the main projects (Guo et al., 2000 ). Early studies have found that rural tourism projects embodying regional characteristics, folklore, and participatory farming activities present stronger competitive advantages in terms of higher rates of tourists’ participation and revisit rates (Wang et al., 2005 ). In the process of the “localization” of rural tourism in China, rural tourism has undergone a top-down evolution. Since the central government’s comprehensive deployment of new rural construction in 2006, national departments and local governments have issued a series of policies to promote the development of rural tourism, leisure agriculture, and culture, which have promoted the prosperity of diversified, high-quality, and distinctive practices of rural tourism nationwide (Ma et al., 2007 ). The rural revitalization strategy is a crucial national policy at present in China, driving various initiatives such as the construction of beautiful countryside and the development of the rural tourism industry. This policy has given rise to trends like the inheritance of local culture, the promotion of green ecological concepts, and the integration of industries. However, there are still challenges encountered, such as the homogenization in tourism development and the necessity to coordinate the development of industries, culture, ecology, and economy. Under the policy guidance of developing the agricultural economy and revitalizing national culture, China has explored rural tourism landscape products that fit the national cultural context and market demand of the country. Its characteristics are mainly reflected at two levels: First, it focuses on the integration of ethnic and regional cultural perspectives. Rural tourism planning focuses on identifying geographical cultural aspects (Sun et al., 2008 ), integrating traditional Chinese red culture and local characteristics (Huang, 2003 ) into tourism landscape products, and creating Chinese cultural brands. Second, we should focus on upgrading traditional sightseeing, farming, folk customs, and leisure tourism projects, develop in-depth experiential research projects, and create a comprehensive boutique tourism route (Chen et al., 2021 ).

With the prosperity of rural tourism, the related research has gradually increased. Zhai ( 2015 ) pointed out that unique cultural and geographical landscapes are not only objects that should be emphasized and protected in the construction of the countryside but also important resources for the development of rural tourism. Zhang and Wang ( 2018 ) believed that the essence of rural tourism is the cultural experience of tourists in the countryside. Chen ( 2020 ) studied the “local sentiment” from an anthropological perspective as an important factor in promoting the development of China’s rural tourism market. Xu and Tang ( 2016 ) argued that local characteristics are essential for rural landscape construction, proposing the planning and construction strategy of “livability, suitability for industry, suitability for tourism, and suitability for culture”. Shi ( 2021 ) pointed out the significance of ecological esthetics theory to the planning and design of rural tourism landscapes and proposed the strategy of integrating local characteristics with ecological features and improving the ecosystems through artistic techniques. Most of the research has focused on the development and upgrading strategies of Chinese rural tourism landscapes from the supply-side perspective but lacks studies on what kind of experience and value tourists expect from the demand-side perspective, and the research methods lack scientific quantitative analyses.

Satisfaction and revisit intention are used to evaluate the perception and experience of rural landscapes, which directly reflect tourists’ actual feelings about the resource endowment, operational management effectiveness, social and cultural environment, and rural landscape planning in the area (Zhang et al., 2014 ). Landscape perception emphasizes the mutual influence of tourists’ perception of the tourism environment (Echtner and Ritchie, 1993 ), recognition of the location (Middleton and Hawkins, 1998 ), preferences (Zhang et al., 2017 ), and other aspects, while the revisit intention reflects tourists’ willingness to experience an activity again (Xu et al., 2014 ). Strengthening tourists’ revisit intention in rural tourism is of great significance for stabilizing and increasing rural income and promoting sustainable development in rural areas. It is an important measure of whether the quality and style of rural areas have been improved and whether rural revitalization has been promoted (Li et al., 2022 ). Therefore, based on the objective data analysis results of tourists’ perception and satisfaction with rural tourism landscapes and their revisit intention, we can objectively and reasonably propose upgrading and optimization strategies for rural landscapes. The relationship diagram is shown in Fig. 1 .

The figure illustrates the interaction between subject and object in rural tourism.

This study selected Nangou Village in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province, as the research object. Based on the construction of traditional rural tourism facilities, Nangou Village has developed a certain number of distinctive tourism products that integrate production, learning, and research based on the Ansai folk culture and revolutionary humanistic resources in the region. However, as a key model village in China’s rural revitalization strategy, Nangou Village is still exploring a new round of optimization and upgrading. On the basis of the theory of landscape perception and a demonstrated impact mechanism between landscape perception and satisfaction, as well as revisit intention, combined with the perception results, this article proposes feasible strategies for the planning, design, and optimization of the tourism industry in Nangou Village.

Theoretical foundation

Landscape perception theory.

Landscape perception theory originated in the 1950s and is an independent theory developed for environmental psychology research. It combines the research paradigms and methods of environmental psychology and human geography (Deng, 2006 ) and aims to study people’s preferences (Guo et al., 2004 ), perception (Crompton, 1979 ; Fan et al., 2014 ), and satisfaction levels (Tribe and Snaith, 1998 ; Chi and Qu, 2008 ) of the objective environment. Ervin Zube et al. ( 1982 ) integrated the existing research paradigms of landscape perception—expert paradigm, psychophysical paradigm, cognitive paradigm, and empirical paradigm—and further proposed a theoretical model to unify humans, landscapes, and the results of their interaction into a closed loop. Landscape perception is essentially a process in which the human brain acquires environmental information through the sensory systems and then processes it (Purcell, 1987 ). In the interactive relationship between people and landscapes, the landscape is the perceived object while people are the main subjects of the environmental perception. The perception of landscapes is related to individual differences, involving experiences, memories, cognitive level, and social–cultural backgrounds (Qin, 2022 ; Cosgrove, 1984 ).

Based on subjective feelings and psychological evaluations of the surrounding environment, landscape perception further affects individuals’ emotions and environmental behaviors. An emotional state is a psychological product of individuals’ acceptance of external stimuli, combined with their own experiences and cognition, which is an important driving force that can promote individuals’ interactive behavioral responses. Motloch ( 2000 ) proposed that landscape perception will also generate emotional load after observation, recognition, and meaning attribution. Song ( 2013 ) summarizes it as a process of landscape stimulation, generation of feelings, sublimation of cognition, and emotional response. For such emotional reactions, scholars commonly use satisfaction and place identity to measure the positive affective state generated by landscape perception (Baker and Crompton, 2000 ). Behavioral responses are subjective reactions of people to approach or avoid external stimuli, which are especially influenced by their emotional state (Bitner, 1992 ; Mehrabian and Russell, 1974 ). Gobster ( 2008 ) argues that landscape perception is reflected both in cognitive and emotional aspects and that landscape preferences and emotional experiences can affect environmental behavior. Ostoić et al. ( 2017 ) believe that landscape perception emphasizes the mutual influence of tourists’ perceptions, recognition, preferences, and other aspects of the tourism environment, which can directly reflect the effectiveness of the tourism environment’s planning and design, and thus affect tourists’ behavior. In short, there are interactions between landscape environmental stimuli, emotional states, and behavioral responses, and landscape perception has a significant impact on an individual’s sense of environmental responsibility, environmental protection intention, and intention to revisit a destination (Wu et al., 2019 ).

Landscape perception and satisfaction, revisit intention

Satisfaction is a comprehensive feeling experienced by tourists during and after visiting a tourist destination (Chon, 1989 ). It can be an evaluation of a single dimension such as landscape products, tourism services, transportation accessibility, etc., or a comprehensive measure of overall satisfaction in multiple dimensions (Cole and Scott, 2004 ; Sailesh et al., 2023 ). Among them, the physical landscape environment is one of the most important dimensions that affects overall satisfaction (Chi and Qu, 2009 ). Oliver ( 1980 ) proposed the “expectation discrepancy model”, which refers to the process in which tourists form certain expectations based on their previous experiences before traveling, and then compare their expectations with their actual feelings during the travel process to determine their level of satisfaction. If the expectations are met, the tourists are satisfied; otherwise, they are not. The tourism landscape studied in this article is an important component in the study of tourist destination satisfaction, which directly affects the tourists’ selection of tourist destinations, consumption of tourism products and services, and willingness to revisit.

Behavioral intention is the result of rational cognitive processing of situational information by tourists, resulting from psychological comparison and judgment (perception value or satisfaction). In the existing research, tourists’ behavioral intentions are often described as tourists’ recommendation behavior and revisiting intention. Revisit intention refers to the behavioral intention of tourists to visit the destination again in the future (Hung and Petrick, 2011 ). Chen proposed that revisit intention should include two levels of behavioral intention: the intention of the tourists themselves to revisit this place, and the intention to recommend this place to their acquaintances. Xiu, on this basis, included whether tourists would prioritize this attraction in their travel choices into the evaluation indexes of revisit intention (Guo, 2016 ). In addition, some scholars have demonstrated that destination image perception, especially landscape perception, is a direct driver of tourists’ recommendation behavior and intention (Chew and Jahari, 2013 ; Nisco et al., 2015 ; Prayag et al., 2017 ), and satisfaction with the tourism destination is one of the strongest factors affecting revisiting behavior (Campo-Martínez et al., 2010 ; Humagain and Singleton, 2021 ).

In summary, the relationship between landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention has been demonstrated in relevant studies. In spite of this, it remains necessary to further the research on the influence paths of these three factors. For example, Xu et al. ( 2023 ) took the Qilian Village landscape renovation project as the subject of a case study to identify users’ perceptions of landscape characteristics through structural equation modeling. Although they explored the impact of landscape perception on satisfaction, no further study was conducted on users’ behavioral intentions via the influence paths. Similarly, Qu et al. ( 2023 ), referring to the ancient villages in southern Anhui as an example, explored the path to high-quality development of rural tourism from the perspective of the authenticity of rural landscapes. Despite the SPSS data analysis conducted to verify the positive correlation between satisfaction and revisit intention, they ignored the optimization strategies of landscape as the carrier of tourism, which thus affects the applicability of this research. Additionally, in China, there are few papers that quantitatively present tourists’ landscape demands and support planning strategies, with most research focusing on the subjective discussions of tourism landscape planning strategies from the perspective of the supply side. In conclusion, it remains imperative to conduct further research on the strategies of optimizing the design of rural tourism landscapes based on a complete demonstration of the influence paths of landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention, with the results of quantitative data analysis as guidance.

Research hypotheses

Landscape perception theory has been widely applied in tourism-related research and has gradually permeated into the research on rural tourism landscapes (Yang et al., 2022 ; Fan, 2020 ). The rural tourism landscape studied in this article, perceived as a physical environment, usually includes rural ecological landscapes, authentic historical and cultural landscapes, agricultural leisure and entertainment facilities, and experiential red revolutionary landscapes, and it also involves diachronic overall tourism routes.

Some scholars have explored the rationality of the path mechanism of the landscape perception–satisfaction–revisit intention in related studies, and they used the relevant results as a strategic basis for optimizing the development of rural tourism. For example, Acharya et al. ( 2023 ) showed that the better the tourism ecological environment is, the higher the satisfaction and revisit intention of tourists are, and the path from the ecological environment to the revisit intention of tourists needs to be connected by satisfaction. Geng et al. ( 2010 ) analyzed and demonstrated the positive impact of rural natural landscape satisfaction and sightseeing route satisfaction on tourists’ revisit intention using logistic model analysis. Queiroz ( 2017 ) found that cultural experiences can better reflect the authenticity of rural areas, and tourist satisfaction can be improved through the enhancement of cultural facilities, thereby promoting tourists’ willingness to revisit. Yang et al. ( 2022 ) believe that developing recreational activities with rural characteristics can stimulate tourists’ interest and participation, thereby enhancing their satisfaction and willingness to return. Zhou et al. ( 2016 ) posited that recreational facilities and entertainment activities are both important factors that attract tourists to choose rural tourism; in addition, a higher attractiveness of the tourism landscape increases the satisfaction of tourists, creating a greater impact on revisit intention.

Some scholars have further proposed and demonstrated that satisfaction plays a mediating role in the impact path of tourists’ landscape perception on their revisit intention. For example, Kim et al. ( 2013 ) conducted a survey in rural areas and found that satisfaction plays an intermediary role between tourists’ rural image perception and tourists’ revisit intention.Tu et al. ( 2017 )proposed that the internal mechanism of tourists’ behavioral intentions based on destination image perception may be achieved through the mediating effect of positive emotions such as satisfaction. Meng ( 2018 ) argued that in rural tourism, rural landscapes, and related service facilities are important manifestations of rurality, which affect tourists’ satisfaction with their travel experience and indirectly affect their revisit intention.

In summary, this study took Nangou Village as a research sample to explore the influence mechanism between rural tourism landscape perception and its associated satisfaction and revisit intention, and the following hypotheses were made (Fig. 2 ).

The figure presents the hypothesized relationship between the three variables.

Hypothesis 1 (H1) . Rural tourism landscape perception will positively affect the overall satisfaction of rural tourism.

Hypothesis 2 (H2) . Rural tourism landscape perception will positively affect the rural tourism revisit intention.

Hypothesis 3 (H3) . Rural tourism satisfaction will positively affect the rural tourism revisit intention.

Hypothesis 4 (H4) . Satisfaction will act as a mediator in the relationship between rural tourism landscape perception and revisit intention.

Study design

Nangou Village, the research object of this study, is located in Gaoqiao Town, Ansai District, Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province, China, covering approximately 1716 hectares with seven natural villages under its jurisdiction, which are typical loess hilly villages (Fig. 3 ). As a key model village for rural revitalization, Nangou Village has a good natural ecological foundation and abundant agricultural and regional culture resources and has achieved preliminary linkages between the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. In the first rural tourism development, Nangou Village built the Nangou Paradise for sightseeing and its supporting facilities, the Nangou Soil and Water Conservation Demonstration Park of Ansai District of Yan’an City, and the Agricultural Picking Experience Park, the red military camps based on Yan’an Red Culture, and various characteristic landscape pieces under the influence of Ansai’s unique regional culture, which form a comprehensive cultural tourism village. With the deepening of rural revitalization in China, Nangou Village will serve as a key area for the Ansai District to build a five-billion-level cultural tourism industry cluster, further expanding and upgrading the existing tourism landscape facilities. Therefore, this article aims to propose a scientific strategy for the upgrading and transformation of Nangou Village through subjective evaluation methods.

The figure presents the geographic location of the Nangou village.

Evaluation index construction

Based on the analysis and organization of the existing literature and the construction of the theoretical framework mentioned earlier, this study constructed evaluation indicators for three variables: landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention (Table 1 ).

LP—The research on rural tourism landscape perception is not yet perfect; this study tentatively divided the LP scale into five dimensions on the basis of previous research and combined with a review of the literature. Among them, the Natural Ecology sub-dimension involves the evaluation of the rural landscape’s pastoral characteristics, the quality of the ecological environment, and the integration of landscape facilities and natural ecology (Xie et al., 2002 ; Marianna et al., 2023 ). The Historical Culture sub-dimension involves the evaluation of the regional history and culture of the rural tourism landscapes, the recognizability of the cultural symbols, and the authenticity of the cultural preservation (Huang et al., 2015 ). The Leisure Recreation sub-dimension involves the evaluation of the suitability, attractiveness, and abundance of recreational facilities in rural tourism landscapes (Yuan, 2017 ). The Research Experience sub-dimension involves the evaluation of the attractiveness, abundance, brand value, and impressiveness of the research experiences for tourists (Fan and Liu, 2016 ; Wang and Wang, 2010 ; Huang et al., 2018 ). The Integral Route sub-dimension involves the evaluation of the prominent theme features in the routes, an abundance of scenarios and experiences, and the attractiveness of the integral route (Li, 2003 ; Yan, 2021 ).

SA—This is the evaluation of whether the overall quality and experience of the rural tourism landscapes meet expectations. Here, the overall satisfaction, expectation, and competitiveness of rural tourism landscape quality and experience are used as the evaluation indexes (Chen, 2012 ; Wang et al., 2005 ).

RI—This is the evaluation of tourists’ loyalty to rural tourism destinations, with loyalty, willingness to revisit, and recommendation behavior as the evaluation indexes (Wang et al., 2006 ; Stylos et al., 2015 ).

Questionnaire design and collection

The questionnaire was designed in four parts. The first part covers the demographic characteristics, including gender, age, education level, and occupation. The second part is the evaluation of cultural image perception, while the third part is the evaluation of environmental design, and the fourth part is the evaluation of place perception. The items in these last three parts corresponded to the evaluation indexes shown in Tables 2 – 4 , respectively, and a 5-point Likert scale was used to rank the perception level.

In November 2022, the study conducted a field survey in Nangou village, complemented by an online questionnaire from November 15, 2022, through September 12, 2023. The introduction section of the questionnaire included the research objectives, the anticipated societal benefits, and the scope of information that would be collected. Before proceeding, participants were asked to review this introduction; their agreement to participate was taken as informed consent. In total, the study received 344 valid responses, serving as the sample data. The sample size satisfies the requirements for structural equation modeling that a desirable sample size should be over 200, with at least ten responses correlating to each variable under observation (Barrett, 2007 ).

Quantitative analysis methods

The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 27.0) and AMOS 27.0. Frequency analysis of the demographic characteristics and reliability analysis were conducted.

In this study, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used as the core method, and the three concepts of landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention were set as latent variables, and SEM was utilized to verify the hypotheses on the relationship between the three aspects. First, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was introduced to test whether the relationship between the factors and the corresponding measurement items was as expected, and to further revise the relationship model between the latent variables and the indicator question items and between the indicator question items (Li and Chen, 2010 ). Second, the interaction mechanism between the latent variables was analyzed by SEM to verify or falsify the research hypotheses (Gu et al., 2022 ). Finally, the bootstrap method was used to validate and analyze the indirect effects (Wen and Ye, 2014 ).

Results analysis

Demographic variables and statistical results of travel characteristics.

Using SPSS software to analyze the demographic characteristics of the 354 questionnaires, the sample was found to be well-balanced in terms of gender. The age distribution was broad and predominantly consisted of young and middle-aged people. The occupational status covered various fields, while most respondents had received middle and higher levels of education. The middle-income group accounted for a larger proportion of the sample, which is a good representation of the population (Fig. 4 ).

The figure presents the statistical results of the demographic variables for the 354 questionnaires.

The survey results showed that tourists preferred to choose research experience and historical culture landscape projects at the destination, followed by natural ecology and leisure recreation. In terms of tour length and size, tourists who chose one-day and two-person tours accounted for most of the tourists, and very few tourists chose multiday tours. The majority of tourists who came to this destination came as a unit, and the least frequent response was as individual tourists. The majority of tourists visited this village for the first time, and the number of tourists choosing to revisit the place again was very few (Fig. 5 ).

The figure presents the statistical results of the travel characteristics for the 354 questionnaires.

Reliability analysis results

In this study, the latent variables were tested using Cronbach’s α (Table 2 ), which showed that the Cronbach’s α values of landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention were 0.898, 0.803, and 0.845, respectively, and the scales’ overall Cronbach’s α value was 0.913. The Cronbach’s α values of the sub-dimensions under landscape perception ranged from 0.805 to 0.863, which are all greater than 0.8. In summary, the reliability test coefficients of each sub-dimension scale exceed 0.7, which indicates that the internal consistency of the data was good (Eisinga et al., 2013 ).

Latent variable evaluation results

As shown in Fig. 6 , the overall average landscape perception score was 3.748, which is close to a good level. Comparing the average evaluation score, the five latent variables can be ranked as NE > HC > RE > LR > IR, with scores of 3.976, 3.906, 3.889, 3.836, and 3.826, respectively. The overall average score for satisfaction was 3.625, between average and satisfactory. The overall average score for revisit intention was 3.452, between average and willing, but not reaching the desired level.

The figure presents the statistical results of the latent variable average scores. NE Natural Ecology, HC Historical Culture, LR Leisure Recreation, RE Research Experience, IR Integral Route, LP Landscape Perception, SA Satisfaction, RI Revisit Intention.

This study examined the relationship between the latent and observed variables in the measurement model through CFA to determine the reasonableness of the scale construction by convergent and discriminant validity. For convergent validity, there are usually three discriminating criteria: (1) standardized factor loadings are all greater than 0.5 (Bailey and Ball, 2006 ); (2) average variance extracted (AVE) is greater than 0.5 (Bagozzi and Yi, 1988 ); and (3) composite reliability (CR) is greater than 0.7 (Fornell and Larcker, 1981 ). Satisfying the above criteria indicates good convergent validity. As shown in Table 3 , the standardized factor loading ranged from 0.686 to 0.891, which meets the criterion of greater than 0.5. The minimum value of CR was greater than 0.8, which is greater than the threshold value of 0.7, and the AVEs were all greater than 0.5, which indicates that the scale has a good convergent validity.

For discriminant validity, if the correlation coefficients between a factor and the other factors are all less than the square root of its AVE value, it indicates good discriminant validity between the factors (Hair et al., 2010 ). As shown in Table 4 , the correlation coefficients between landscape perception and the two factors of its sub-dimension are only slightly larger than the square root of the AVE, and the square root of the AVE values of the rest of the factors is higher than the correlation coefficients between the factor and the other factors, which indicates that the present scale has good discriminant validity.

Theoretical model validation

Under the premise of ensuring the reliability and validity of the measurement model, structural modeling was further performed to verify the hypothesized relationships among the three variables of landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention. First, the results of model fit showed that CMID/DF = 1.097, GFI = 0.949, AGFI = 0.936, CFI = 0.995, TLI (NNFI) = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.017, and SRMR = 0.037 (Table 5 ), and all the indexes were in line with the standard, which indicated that the model had a good fit (Hayduk, 1987 ; Scott and Willits, 1994 ).

This study further used AMOS 27 to establish a structural model and measure the causal relationships between the three latent variables, LP, SA, and RI. As shown in Table 6 and Fig. 7 , (1) Landscape perception has a positive and significant effect on Satisfaction, with a path coefficient of 0.559 ( P  < 0.001); (2) Landscape perception has a positive and significant effect on Revisit Intention, with a path coefficient of 0.434 ( P  < 0.001); and (3) Landscape Satisfaction had a positive and significant effect on Revisit Intention, with a path coefficient of 0.377 ( P  < 0.001) (Cabrera-Nguyen, 2010 ). This proves that hypotheses H1, H2, and H3 are supported.

NE Natural Ecology, HC Historical Culture, LR Leisure Recreation, RE Research Experience, IR Integral Route, LP Landscape Perception, SA Satisfaction, RI Revisit Intention.

Mediation analysis of satisfaction

This study adopted the bootstrap method suggested by McKinnom to test the possible mediating effect of SA in the relationship between LP and RI, and the bootstrap sample size was set at 5000 (MacKinnon et al., 2002 ). Usually, if the bootstrap confidence interval does not contain 0, then the corresponding indirect, direct, or total effect exists (MacKinnon et al., 2004 ). The test results show that at a 95% confidence level, the confidence interval of indirect effect was [0.141, 0.314], the confidence interval of direct effect was [0.456, 0.755], and the confidence interval of total effect was [0.682, 0.961], which all exclude 0, indicating that the indirect effect exists, and the ratio of the indirect effect was 0.27. The results of the mediation test support hypothesis H4 (Table 7 ).

Discussion and recommendations

Coupling relationship among lp, sa, and ri.

This study established a hypothesis model based on the a priori theory of the influencing relationship between Landscape Perception→Satisfaction→Revisit Intention, and explored and confirmed the influence paths of LP on SA and RI with Nangou Village as the research object. In the SEM results, the coefficient of LP’s influence path on SA was 0.559, and the coefficient of LP’s influence path on RI was 0.434. LP influences tourists’ revisit intention to the destination through the overall satisfaction of the tourist landscapes, which confirms that the landscape quality and experience of the destination is an important influencing factor that affects tourists’ satisfaction, which then enhances tourists’ revisit intention. This result is consistent with that of many previous studies, such as those conducted by Cao ( 2019 ) and Li ( 2022 ), in which quantitative analysis is conducted under different contexts to investigate the influence paths of landscape perception. Their research also confirms that tourists’ perception of the landscape contributes to enhancing satisfaction and revisiting intention. At present, the intention to revisit Nangou Village has not reached the desired level. Based on the LP → SA → RI influence path, this study concludes that it is necessary to upgrade the tourism landscapes as a whole in the new round of rural tourism planning, to effectively improve the attractiveness of the destination from the environmental level.

Coupling relationship among LP and its sub-variables

Different from previous studies, we defined LP as a second-order variable containing five sub-dimensions: natural ecology, historical culture, leisure recreation, research experience, and integral route. The fitted data showed that the five sub-variables were an accurate representation of the LP structure. In the results of the structural equation, all five latent variables involved in the LP dimension showed significant positive correlations with LP ( P  < 0.01), and the influence path was IR > HC > LR > NE > RE. In the correlation analysis, IR, HC, LR, RE, and IR also showed significant positive correlations with revisit intention, with correlation coefficients in the order of NE > IR > HC > LR > RE (Table S1 ), and the correlation coefficients in the order of IR > LR > LR > RE (Table 2 ). All of these results emphasize the important influence of historical culture and integral route on landscape perception and revisit intention. In the actual evaluation of landscape perception, the evaluation results of the five sub-dimensions did not reach a satisfactory level; therefore, in order to further increase the revisit intention of the destination, it is necessary to upgrade the landscapes of Nangou Village in all dimensions as a whole, and in particular, it should focus on upgrading the historical culture, the integral routes, as well as the facilities of the research experience that tourists are more inclined to choose.

Recommendations

Deeply excavating rural historical and cultural resources.

Rural tourism itself is a large-scale cultural exchange; any tourism product or tourism mode has its own cultural connotation, which is a necessary condition to attract tourism (Li and Wang, 1999 ). Rural culture is both productive and fragile; therefore, cultural protection and inheritance in rural tourism development is essential. Emphasizing the characteristic regional culture can not only improve the visibility, dissemination, and attractiveness of rural tourism destinations, but also enhance the vitality, efficiency, and effectiveness of rural development. The rural landscapes are both the end product of rural tourism and the carrier of rural culture. Based on the principle of protecting the authenticity of rural culture, integrating the elements of native culture into the tourism landscape designs of traditional villages and optimizing the tourism content is conducive to strengthening the attractiveness of traditional villages to tourists (Sun and Zhang, 2020 ). The results of the survey on the preference of tourism types in Nangou Village show that the historical culture and landscapes are popular aspects. Meanwhile, the SEM model results show that historical culture is an important factor influencing tourists’ revisit intention. Therefore, future tourism planning in Nangou Village should strengthen the development of vernacular cultural landscapes and highlight its own distinct characteristics. The tourism landscapes developed in the first round in Nangou Village have problems such as low cultural taste and inconspicuous characteristics. The new tourism planning for Nangou Village should sufficiently mobilize the regional cultural resources of the Ansai District, utilizing the region’s primitive village landscapes and folk cultural resources to create a rich “composite vernacular complex” type of landscape facilities. For example, we could introduce traditional activities such as horse riding, cattle riding, and Paper Cuttings with Ansai characteristics to the local culture experience hall; renovate cave dwelling homestays with distinctive Shaanxi characteristics; and integrate agricultural and folk activities such as tasting farmhouse meals and picking agricultural products into the homestay experience. In summary, the new tourism landscape should showcase the inherent qualities of Nangou Village, such as locality, authenticity, and humanity, from four aspects: food, housing, transportation, and work.

Shaping the National Red Culture Brand

Red cultural resources, as the Chinese excellent culture refined during the revolutionary era, play a prominent role in enhancing national self-confidence and building a strong nation. Meanwhile, the red tourism industry, which inherits and carries forward the red culture, has also become a unique path in China’s rural revitalization (Liu, 2020 ). The purpose of rural red tourism is to jointly develop traditional green ecological resources and red resources with humanistic characteristics. Through the development model of red and green integration, we can carry forward the narrative and dissemination power of the red spirit concept. At the same time, based on the comprehensive development of red tourism routes, sites, events, symbols, and other resources, we can enhance the popularity of rural tourism brands, expand market entities, and attract more visitors (Hong, 2021 ). Nangou Village is located in the red Yan’an revolutionary hometown, which occupies a place in China’s revolutionary history. In the first round of development, Nangou Village built red culture experience facilities, mainly serving units with red education and training needs in the surrounding areas. However, Nangou Village has insufficient scheduling of classic resources such as red sites, red stories, red history, and red characters, and has not established a more competitive and penetrating red tourism culture brand that serves a comprehensive audience. Therefore, we suggest that Nangou Village expand the scale of red travel facilities, create multi-dimensional red tourism experience scenarios, enhance the cultural connotation of red tourism scenic spots, and create educational and training routes with prominent themes of the red spirit. In addition, rural culture, red tourism resources, and natural ecological resources should be integrated under specific local conditions, for example, temperature-controlled greenhouses, characteristic agricultural planting, folk culture experiences, and other projects around the red tourism areas can be incorporated. This is conducive to enhancing the “red tourism integration” brand effect for its greater influence on surrounding facilities. Therefore, the connection between the cultural dimension and tourists’ perception of landscapes can be reinforced. In turn, it enhances the favorability and visibility of the “Red Yan’an” brand, which gives full play to its economic potential while promoting the inheritance of red cultural genes.

Creating rural tourism boutique routes

Rural tourism boutique routes are an arrangement and scientific organization of characteristic tourism landscapes, which is an important strategy for rural tourism destinations to attract tourists. The creation of boutique tourism routes is based on the integration of regional resources, forming a “string of points into a line, with a line leading to the surface, the overall promotion” of the joint development of the countryside, which is able to better utilize and display rural resources, and promote the integrated development of industries and the cultivation of new business models (You, 2014 ; Wang, 2015 ). According to the SEM results, it can be seen that the integral route sub-dimension of Nangou Village had the greatest impact on landscape perception. However, at present, tourists gave the lowest rating for aspect, which affected their satisfaction and led to a low willingness to revisit. At present, the tourism landscape projects in Nangou Village have problems, such as dispersion, small scales, individual operations, a single rural tourism product, and imperfect industrial and economic structures. Therefore, the upgrading strategy should incorporate the cultural theme of “Ansai Five Business Cards” into the integral tourism routes, and form the regional tourism development routes, rural tourism routes, and red knowledge education and training routes in the Greater Nangou area, which rely on the characteristic resources of Nangou Village. Moreover, it should connect the regional construction with the routes, and form a diversified tourism industry integrating “agricultural science popularization + folklore experience + parent-child amusement + leisure agriculture”. Finally, the tourism route planning should make full use of the Nangou Village brand, taking rural culture and tourism as the engine to optimize and expand primary industries, achieve coordinated development of the village and urban economy, and focus on the development of tertiary industries, in order to cooperate with the new rural industrial development system in Nangou Village.

Conclusions

With the gradual evolution of urbanization and the extensive promotion of China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy, rural tourism has become more and more popular and has developed rapidly. Landscape perception is the process of human interactions with the landscape, and the positive or negative results of this perception will directly affect the satisfaction of the tourists with the destination, thus affecting the tourists’ revisit intention. This study was based on the theory of landscape perception, and selected Nangou Village as the research object, on the basis of validating the influencing relationship of Landscape Perception→Satisfaction→Revisit Intention, to put forward reasonable suggestions for the optimization and upgrading of Nangou Village. The results of the research show the following: (1) Tourists’ landscape perception significantly influences tourists’ satisfaction and revisit intention. (2) Tourists’ satisfaction with the destination plays an intermediary role in the influence of landscape perception on revisit intention. (3) Landscape perception contains five dimensions (natural ecology, historical culture, leisure recreation, research experience, and integral route), all of which significantly influence tourists’ satisfaction and revisit intention. Among these dimensions, historical culture and integral route have the greatest influence, which indicates that the cultural and integral nature of the landscape is the core element that drives tourists to generate positive emotions. (4) Tourists prefer landscape projects with historical culture and research experience. (5) The overall landscape planning of Nangou Village was not evaluated highly, and it needs to be upgraded in a focused way. Using the empirical results as a reference, this study proposes strategies for upgrading the tourism landscapes of Nangou Village: deeply excavate rural historical and cultural resources, shape the national red culture brand, and create rural tourism boutique routes. Therefore, exploring the factors affecting revisit intention and thinking about the construction of rural tourism landscape perception elements can provide theoretical guidance for solving the next stage of rural tourism planning in Nangou Village and providing a direction for the construction of beautiful villages in the future.

The methodology of empirical research as applied in this study, along with the corresponding data analysis conducted in the case study of Nangou Village, aims to reveal the influencing factors for revisit intention. By adopting a reverse-thinking approach to constructing the elements of rural tourism landscape perception, theoretical guidance is provided for the next phase of rural tourism planning in Nangou Village. Meanwhile, it gains the strategic insights crucial for local governments and collaborative planning agencies to develop, manage, and market rural tourism destinations. Additionally, the research methods used in this study provide a reference for relevant government and planning agencies to carry out rural tourism planning. Firstly, rural tourism relies heavily on tourism landscape facilities as its primary support system. Therefore, rural tourism is supposed to focus on increasing the attention paid to tourists’ demands from the perspective of the supply side. This can be achieved by constructing landscape perception scales that are more tailored to the advantages and characteristics of tourism destinations. Through the surveys of rural tourism landscape perception elements based on combined scale analysis, tourists’ expectations and demands can be better satisfied. Thus, their satisfaction and revisit intention can be enhanced. Secondly, in the practice of rural tourism marketing, the SEM (structural equation modeling) quantitative results of landscape perception, satisfaction, and revisit intention can be referenced to guide targeted promotion and advertising efforts for landscape elements perceived more strongly by tourists. In this way, the attractiveness to tourist groups can be improved. Lastly, planning agencies can apply the scale developed in this study to measure the satisfaction level of rural tourism industries in tourists’ minds at various stages. By assessing the scores in different dimensions, planning agencies can better identify their strengths and weaknesses, which enables them to maintain their advantages while making improvement.

Some limitations should be noted, which need to be addressed in the future. Firstly, the division of landscape perception dimensions in this study was somewhat subjective and innovative, and there are some immaturity issues. Secondly, the data collection time was short, which may not represent the average situation throughout the year. Finally, this article intended to propose optimization suggestions for Nangou Village at the landscape level, but this should be integrated with the industrial transformation, planning and propaganda, and enhancing service quality and other influencing factors of tourism destinations in the overall tourism planning.

Data availability

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material ( S2 . Dataset), further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Academy of Agricultural Planning and Engineering, MARD of China “Study on the transformation of rural space and planning response in the suburbs of Xi'an from the perspective of social change”, grant number XC2X2DKT-20230916 and by the Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Project of China “Study on Reshaping the Spatial Value of Cultural Memory of Industrial Heritage and the Path of Local Identity”, grant number 2022JM-289.

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Conceptualization, YK and XX; methodology, XX; software, YK; validation, YK and XX; formal analysis, YK; investigation, YK; resources, XX; data curation, YK; writing—original draft preparation, YK; writing—review and editing, XX; visualization, YK; supervision, XX; project administration, XX; funding acquisition, XX All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Kou, Y., Xue, X. The influence of rural tourism landscape perception on tourists’ revisit intentions—a case study in Nangou village, China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 620 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03129-8

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Why the Future of Sustainable Tourism Might be Rural

S ustainable tourism is becoming not only a much-needed trend within the global travel and tourism industry, but also a necessity. From hotels taking steps to measure and reduce their energy, waste and plastics consumption to tour operators becoming certified B corporations , there’s no shortage of opportunities the industry is taking to become better for everyone. 

Yet as the industry continues becoming more thoughtful about its impact on the world, there’s one growing method to combat overtourism, encourage completion of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and support local economies and traditional ways of life: rural tourism.

Rural tourism, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) new publication, “ Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective, ” is defined as “a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide spectrum of products linked to nature activities, agriculture, ways of life and rural cultures…Rural tourism activities take place in non-urban settings with the following characteristics: 1. low population density, 2. landscapes and land use planning where agriculture and forestry prevail, and 3. Social structures and traditional ways of life.”

Why might rural tourism become a disrupting force for good in the industry? 

Supporting the Common Good

Rural tourism can help support rural communities in a few ways, but especially so by encouraging community-based tourism and creating economic opportunities in areas that currently experience “employment droughts,” a systemic lack of jobs that lead many people to move into cities for better employment opportunities. 

“People in rural areas are twice as likely to be in informal employment as those in urban areas. By 2050, the percentage of people living in rural areas will be less than half of 1950. The labor force participation rates for women are significantly lower than for men in rural areas,” said Sandra Carvão, Chief of Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at the World Tourism Organization. 

“...Tourism can help rural development as a proven tool for economic diversification and benefits sharing throughout the value chain and as a major employment engine with a multiplier effect on other sectors that contribute to rural development,” she continued. “Tourism in rural areas can particularly benefit traditionally disadvantaged groups such as women, youth and Indigenous Peoples.” 

But how would an increase in tourism in rural areas help the people who live there? 

It’s simple: more tourism means more job opportunities for both men and women and, on the local scale, to create community-based tourism initiatives that ensure they retain the power and agency over the industry.Community-based tourism is a way for rural communities to directly own and manage the tourism industry in their region. One great example of this is the UNWTO’s Best Tourism Village of Puqueldón, Chile , in which the community operates sixteen lodges for travelers and offers immersion experiences like the Native Potato Route, in which travelers can learn about the importance of the root vegetable from the women who cultivate it. 

Generating more job opportunities and revenue streams for rural communities also allows for greater development in areas where there has traditionally been a lack of resources, such as education or conservation. 

Combatting Overtourism

In cities and destinations across the globe, overtourism can take a detrimental toll on the local population and environment.

We’ve all read the headlines about Venice’s efforts to combat overtourism in the popular Italian city. Yet it’s not just an issue in Venice: Portugal recently passed a law limiting the number of homes that foreigners can purchase to turn into vacation rentals, after the trend began pricing out the local population. 

And in 2018, Thailand’s famous Maya Bay closed after its ecosystem collapsed from the 5,000 tourists that visited the destination each day. The destination reopened in 2022 following the planting of new coral and infrastructure upgrades, but with a largely reduced daily capacity limit to ease the stress tourism had placed on local wildlife. 

By encouraging rural tourism, travelers will be interested in visiting less-visited destinations. The UNWTO’s Best Tourism Villages offer unique — and more responsible — alternatives to the world’s most popular destinations. 

Fostering Sustainability

Lastly, growing rural tourism across the globe can also foster sustainability on a local scale. 

This can happen in a few different ways. Communities located within or around beautiful natural resources, biodiverse regions of the world or already established parks or reserves are encouraged by travelers’ interest in visiting them. In this way, tourism has a symbiotic relationship with preservation initiatives. 

“...Our Best Tourism Village Batu Puteh in Malaysia is a fine example of community-participation being indispensable to rural tourism,” said Carvão. “In the protected forest reserve around the village, a group of youth from the Batu Puteh community are involved in conserving and promoting the ecosystem and local culture, including language and traditional knowledge, music and dance.”Another, broader example, of rural tourism enhancing sustainability is in Rwanda , which has gained international recognition for its effort. The country has not only expanded its protected areas, but encourages the communities near protected areas to participate and value conserving its rich biodiversity, including its famous gorilla population. Additionally, the expansion of these parks has grown employment opportunities for locals as park rangers and guides. 

Tourism in rural areas can also support their sustainable development in sectors like infrastructure. Communities can use funds generated by tourism to fund renewable energy projects, for example, decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. 

But Will The People Come? 

We think yes, but not all travelers will hop on board. 

Issues of accessibility and infrastructure will always deter travelers who are daunted by transiting between one destination to another in a foreign country, or who desire their familiar creature comforts. 

Likely, it’ll be the adventurous travelers, the ones more interested in immersive travel experiences unlike any other and those who feel like they’ve already seen it all and want something off the beaten path who will help build this important travel sector. 

“An increasing number of people are seeking sustainable, authentic, unique travel experiences and local lifestyles,” said Carvão. “They want to experience natural, unspoiled landscapes and stay in authentic accommodation as they seek to travel with a purpose and meet local people. This is beneficial for our rural communities as they can provide travelers with these experiences, which in turn create new jobs, improve livelihoods and help fight depopulation in rural areas.”   

The UNWTO now offers a list of recognized destinations, called Best Tourism Villages , where communities are already participating in rural tourism initiatives. Travelers can search the website to find villages from Spain to Malaysia and beyond, and read about what they offer the discerning traveler who chooses to visit. 

Tour operators are the ones leaning into rural travel more so than most other travel sectors. Companies like Intrepid Travel and G Adventures have created their entire ethos around travel that does good for local communities, and many of their tours offer a combination of popular destinations mixed with more unique, community-centric or rural-based tourism offerings, ranging from sharing a traditional meal with locals in Egypt to supporting a women’s pottery initiative in Mexico. 

Rural tourism is not just an antidote to overtourism: it’s sustainable, immersive, community-based tourism at its best, and we can’t wait for travelers to experience it for themselves. 

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Minister of Tourism to support the launch of Destination Canada’s 2030 strategy at Rendez-vous Canada 2024

From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Media advisory

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, will be present to support the unveiling of Destination Canada’s ambitious new strategy, “Tourism 2030: A World of Opportunity,” at Rendez-vous Canada 2024.

May 15, 2024 – Edmonton, Alberta

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, will be present to support the unveiling of Destination Canada’s ambitious new strategy, “Tourism 2030: A World of Opportunity,” at Rendez-vous Canada 2024. Minister Ferrada will be joined by:

• the Honourable Liza Frulla, Chair of the Board of Directors of Destination Canada
• Marsha Walden, President and CEO of Destination Canada
• Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada

The strategy will highlight Canada’s drive to rank among the top seven global tourism destinations by 2030, focusing on economic growth and year-round tourism enhancement.

The event will be followed by a press Q&A session.

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Time: 9:00 am

Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Members of the media are asked to contact ISED Media Relations at [email protected] to receive event location details and confirm their attendance.

Media representatives interested in one-on-one interviews with Minister Ferrada can reach out to Marie‑Justine Torres. 

Marie-Justine Torres Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec 613-327-5918 [email protected]

Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [email protected]

Stay connected

Follow @cdntourism on social media.

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Swan Hill Rural City Council

Council Unveils Draft Economic Development Strategy

Thursday, May 16 2024 Latest News , Slider 201 Views

Swan Hill Rural City Council is pleased to announce the release of its draft Economic Development Strategy, a comprehensive blueprint designed to guide the region towards prosperity, growth, and a vibrant future.

Residents can submit feedback on the draft Strategy until Friday, 14 June.

Council Mayor, Cr Stuart King said the Strategy was the result of significant community engagement, with input from industry leaders, businesses, and community members.

“The draft Economic Development Strategy encapsulates the collective hopes, aspirations, and priorities of the municipality and provides a clear roadmap regarding our economic development priorities,” Cr King said.

Mr King said at the heart of this strategy lies our commitment to shaping a future that reflects the desires of our residents and the needs of our businesses.

“We have listened closely to the voices of our community, and this strategy is a testament to their vision for the region.,” he added.

Council’s Director Development and Planning Michelle Grainger said the draft strategy outlines Council’s economic development goals over a five-year period, emphasising collaboration and innovation to create a thriving environment where lifestyle and opportunity come together.

“We encourage all stakeholders to review the draft strategy and submit their feedback by Friday, 14 June.

“We’re also providing residents with the opportunity to attend drop-in sessions in Swan Hill and Robinvale.

“Together, we will work tirelessly to ensure our municipality is a place where every individual can flourish and every business can thrive,” Ms Grainger said.

Council invites feedback and input from residents, businesses, and organisations as it continues to refine and implement the Economic Development Strategy.

Progress underway for Swan Hill Tourism and Cultural Hub at Pioneer Settlement

The much-anticipated Swan Hill Tourism and Cultural Hub at Pioneer Settlement is moving closer to fruition.

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Going beyond city classrooms: Education strategies for developing cities

To bring disadvantaged learners up on a level playing field, there is a need to roll out holistic education development strategies, considering the digital divide between cities and semi-urban to rural areas.

Listen to Story

Our privileges have a crucial, if not definitive, role in our success. For most people on the road to success, education remains a vital determinant for climbing the growth ladder. However, merely by the place of birth or growing-up years can one become more privileged than the other. As per a 2022 research study on education inequality in India, the urban v/s rural digital divide was identified as “the major contributor to overall education inequality” in the country, with a 30 percent share.

The study said that the “place of residence plays a vital role, as it tends to influence AYS [average years of schooling] positively.”

A Case of Differential Education Experience

Consider the lives of equally meritorious Aaliya and Vineeta, both 11 th -grade science learners of middle socio-economic class, the former born and brought up in the national capital and the latter in Balrampur, a rural village in UP. Being in the metro city presents Aaliya with certain advantages over Vineeta. Cities have more educational institutions at every learning level than rural areas.

Consequently, Aaliya has access to better faculty and more cost-effective educational institutions than Vineeta. With approximately 29 percent internet penetration in rural areas and over 700 million citizens living in digital darkness, technology penetration is comparatively low in rural areas. Hence, Vineeta is less exposed to digital education technologies, connected solutions, innovative schools or competent learning institutions.

The Indian education sector is set to reach US$225 billion by 2025, while the ed-tech industry could grow to US$30 billion by 2031. Hybrid learning is driving this growth, with the online education sector expected to hit US$2.28 billion by 2025, growing at a 20 percent CAGR. However, this growth fundamentally stems from urban areas.

These factors significantly differ in developing an educational foundation for both learners. These learners are keen to appear for JEE after their 12th Boards. However, Vineeta is struggling with quality preparation avenues nearby. Contrarily, Aaliya is right at the hub of competitive education.

Need for Holistic Education Strategy

Aaliya and Vineeta’s parents share the same question as most Indian parents. They want to know,“ Baccha seekha ya nahi [the child is learning or not]? ”. Equity in delivering education to learners, not equality, emerges as the overarching challenge of the current education system.

To bring disadvantaged learners up on a level playing field, there is a need to roll out holistic education development strategies, considering the digital divide between cities and semi-urban to rural areas. The idea is to create a system acknowledging that each learner has different conditions and capabilities. Hence, the strategies must allocate the resources and opportunities needed to achieve an equal outcome.

Until a decade back, the classroom tuition environment was all we had. However, advances in digital technologies have presented us with a hybrid learning ecosystem and ed-tech platforms, which, if integrated into education development strategies in developing cities, will play a transformative role. Hybrid learning does not replace teachers. It aims to create an ecosystem that brings the best of in-person and digital learning.

Democratising Education across India

Hybrid learning can help bridge the gap for those in rural areas. For a learner like Vineeta, it can provide remote access to extensive resources, engaging learning environments, and the counsel of the best faculty. The mobile-based and micro-service architecture of hybrid learning empowers learners to study anytime, anywhere and makes the solutions scalable.

Need to Develop the Education Ecosystem

Concerted efforts are required for hybrid learning to bring about a transformative change at the grassroots. There is a need for more substantial penetration of affordable digital and internet infrastructure beyond urban hubs. Furthermore, inexpensive access to digital technologies, such as laptops and smartphones, must be prioritised, bridging the digital divide that often hampers educational progress.

The faculty in rural India also need to be upskilled to make them adept at leveraging these technological tools to their fullest potential and creating a localised digital faculty.In the 21 st century, ed-tech and hybrid learning are indispensable in nurturing the education ecosystem of tomorrow; their true impact lies in their ability to democratise knowledge and level the playing field for all.

The Vineeta-Aaliya story does not mean that a person from a developing city can ever do better than one from a more developed one. History is agog with examples of the sheer magic of hard work and perseverance.