%0 Journal Article
%T A Contrastive Study on the Difference in Community Participation in Tourism Between China and the West<br>社区参与旅游发展的中西差异
%A BAO Jigang
%A SUN Jiuxia
%A <br>保继刚
%A 孙九霞
%J 地理学报
%D 2006
%I 
%X There has been a rapid tourism development in China in recent years. Researchers have been studying many aspects of tourism. However, community participation in tourism is scarcely studied; research in this aspect is far behind the scene of tourism development. Therefore, the study of community participation in China must be based on the understanding of the differences in the background and perspective between China and the West. A contrastive analysis would reveal differences in community participation in the Chinese and Western contexts, so that China can use Western theories for reference in constructing Chinese models. The current studies in China are based on fieldwork of anthropology. Fieldwork lasted four years in the communities of the Dai minority in Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province, of the Yulong River and of Shiwaitaoyuan in Yangshuo of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.The studies in the West are based on the second-hand materials data from the Western researchers. There are very distinct differences in the community participation in tourism development between China and the West. In social implication points of interests, degree of involvement, participant roles, and stage of involvement are all different between the West and China. Though both China and the West are after economic gain, the West has seen the (potential) negative impacts while China is still only after profit. In terms of participation in tourism, the West plays an active role, while all participants in China participate passively. At a result, the parties involved would find themselves in the following chain of reaction: community's pursuit of interest unsatisfied→confrontation and conflicts→government passively reacting to issues concerned→measures proposed→some temporary policies made→impacts on the tourism development in communities→new problems found→new solutions sought after→readjusting the ways of community involvement and the direction of tourism development. The passive state that the residents, the government and the enterprises participate in would eventually lead to the passivity of sustainable tourism development. Community participation in the West is very substantial, from that in planning to management, operation, financial gain and protection of the culture, while community participation in China is superficial or non-existent, where participation is only at the economic level. As long as China has not caught up with the West in areas of democracy, in non-governmental organizations, in the stage of tourism development, in the land tenure, the government plays a crucial role in the decision-making, management and finding out what the community wants in tourism development. Avoid the mistake of thinking that the government can make decisions for the community, that the residents are ignorant and powerless, that they are in a disadvantaged position and have no direct role to play in influencing the direction of tourism development. In fact, the ability
%K community participation
%K tourism development
%K China and the West
%K difference<br>社区参与
%K 旅游发展
%K 中国
%K 西方
%K 差异
%U http://www.alljournals.cn/get_abstract_url.aspx?pcid=E62459D214FD64A3C8082E4ED1ABABED5711027BBBDDD35B&cid=869B153A4C6B5B85&jid=F7B5B947C24B9D649491012214E4BEF4&aid=3699FF85F6C15FA4&yid=37904DC365DD7266&vid=1D0FA33DA02ABACD&iid=E158A972A605785F&sid=238BD7580EFCC5AE&eid=09AA1448D1EAF9C1&journal_id=0375-5444&journal_name=地理学报&referenced_num=43&reference_num=87