Tourism Development in Traditional Villages: Insights From Residents’ Perspectives

This study investigates the mechanisms shaping residents’ perceptions toward tourism development in traditional villages, focusing on the roles of community attachment, perceived tourism impacts, and government support. While tourism contributes to local prosperity and supports China’s rural revitalization strategy, understanding how residents’ attitudes toward tourism are essential for sustainable development. Grounded in social exchange theory, this study proposes a research framework that includes perceived tourism impacts as mediating variables and government support as a moderating variable. Data were gathered through a structured questionnaire survey using a convenience sampling method, targeting 486 residents from several traditional villages in Guizhou Province, China. The Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) is used to analyze how community attachment indirectly affects residents’ attitudes toward tourism development through their perceptions of tourism impacts, and how this relationship is further moderated by the level of government support. The findings emphasize that community attachment and government support are key to fostering favorable attitudes toward tourism. The study offers practical policy implications for achieving a balanced approach to tourism development that promotes both community prosperity and sustainable development.