Tourism-led rural gentrification: impacts and residents’ perception

Purpose This study aims to develop a measurement scale of tourism-led rural gentrification from the perspective of rural residents. Design/methodology/approach The procedure for developing the measurement scale included a thorough review of related literature on tourism-led rural gentrification and multiple stages of qualitative and quantitative investigations. A total of 1,080 rural residents in Huzhou and Huangshan participated in the project. The semi-structured interviews and questionnaire were applied to collect the data. This study analyzed the data with the methodologies of exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The measurement scale developed in this study included seven dimensions: Accelerated Ecological Awareness, Individual Behavior, Rural Economic Development, Enhanced Living Standards, Talents and Demographic Changes, Human and Cultural Shift and Cohesive Community. Research limitations/implications This measurement scale was developed and validated in China and may not be relevant in other contexts. The scale focuses on tourism-led rural gentrification only from the perspective of rural residents. The findings broaden the knowledge on tourism-led rural gentrification by researching the topic from the point of view of rural residents. Practical implications For policymakers and tourism enterprises, this study provides a valuable index for a full understanding of tourism-led rural gentrification. For investors, the research offers insights for priority investments to advance tourism development in rural regions. Originality/value This study is one of the few attempts to empirically measure tourism-led rural gentrification. The results improve on the knowledge about tourism-led rural gentrification in China.