Community participation in the tourism governance at the Chinese border: Power, Boundaries and Values

Identifier:  TDX:2968

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX2968

Authors:  Min, Zhang

Abstract:
The overarching research question for this study is concerned with examining the conditions under which border ethnic communities could participate in local tourism development, not only in terms of passive economic benefit sharing, but also active decision making, which is expected to lead to an inclusive, cohesive and sustainable development. To address this question, a conceptual framework is proposed based on an in-depth review of the extant literature on governance and community participation. While the construction of the analytical model is framed by interpreting the Social Exchange Theory. The notion about the importance of borders at the critical moment of ‘One Belt One Road’ (OBOR) initiative of China, which aims to connect and collaborate with the neighbouring countries, calls for a research framing within a social exchange context. This study brings together a cross-disciplinary collection of major theoretical concepts from sociology, anthropology, economic theory, governance, tourism and sustainable development to frame a novel multi-dimensional enquiry into the subject of community participation. It applies social network analysis combined with content analysis which introduces new approaches to research on the subject. By doing so it provides empirical evidence to support the theoretical concept of community participation with endogenous power in the coalition with local CBT enterprises, as a bridge between the macro (destination) and micro (community) levels. These findings are particularly useful for informing future participation processes that can pave the way for sustainable and inclusive border tourism destinations.