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(Re)shaping the Tourists’ Imagined Identity of Mosuo towards Sustainable Ethnic Tourism Development in Southwest China

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  • Huichao Feng

    (School of Arts and Communication, China University of Geoscience, Wuhan 430074, China)

  • Jieling Xiao

    (School of Architecture and Design, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B4 7BD, UK)

Abstract

Ethnic tourism development has emerged as a vital strategy in ethnic regions to drive local economic growth and improve the quality of life. However, numerous ethnic areas have undergone transformation to accommodate tourism and commercial advancement, with little regard for the conservation of their cultural values. Therefore, the aim of this study is to enhance the cultural tourism attributes and construct place identities from the tourists’ perspective. By conducting fieldwork in Zhaishi village of Yongning Township and Lige village near Lugu Lake, encompassing semi-structured interviews with professionals and questionnaires for tourists, we explore the relationship between the “imagined” and “perceived” identity from the tourists’ perspective and the constructed identity from the authorities’ perspective in two Mosuo villages in China. The findings suggest that the local government should focus on the (re)shaping of tourists’ imagined identity and perceived identities. The results of this study provide policy recommendations for the future development of tourism in the Mosuo region, thereby enriching the perspective of ethnic tourism research.

Suggested Citation

  • Huichao Feng & Jieling Xiao, 2024. "(Re)shaping the Tourists’ Imagined Identity of Mosuo towards Sustainable Ethnic Tourism Development in Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-22, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:7042-:d:1457823
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xue, Lan & Kerstetter, Deborah & Hunt, Carter, 2017. "Tourism development and changing rural identity in China," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 170-182.
    2. Shu-Ning Zhang & Wen-Qi Ruan & Ting-Ting Yang, 2021. "National Identity Construction in Cultural and Creative Tourism: The Double Mediators of Implicit Cultural Memory and Explicit Cultural Learning," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    3. Cornet, Candice, 2015. "Tourism development and resistance in China," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 29-43.
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