The evaluation of tourism service facilities in Chinese traditional villages based on the living protection concept: theoretical framework and empirical case study

Abstract

Balancing heritage protection and tourism development is currently the major challenge in traditional Chinese villages, while the construction of tourism service facilities has substantial effects on both the protection and development of villages. Based on the theoretical framework of the living protection concept, which includes three aspects of protection (villagers, traditional architectures, and culture), this paper proposes an indicator system for evaluating the effects of tourism service facilities on traditional villages. The indicator system contains three dimensions, eight first-level indicators, and 19 second-level indicators. An empirical study of five villages in Zhejiang found limited tourism-related benefits for villagers and a low impact of tourism facilities on rural lives. Multiple advantages exist in the utilization of traditional architecture for tourism service facilities, which should be recommended for future development. The exploitation of cultural heritage is not preferable, and the percentages of different types of facilities need to be controlled to maintain a traditional atmosphere. This study suggests that more attention should be paid to increasing tourists’ expenditure, local tourism involvement, and the utilization of tourism facilities by villagers. More techniques for the reconstruction of traditional buildings are required, and continuous adjustments in the tourism development of traditional villages are also necessary.

Keywords

• traditional village
• tourism service facility
• living protection
• evaluation