A Development Model for the Homestay Industry in Qiang Areas Against the Background of Rural Revitalization：Based on a Survey in Wenchuan County, Aba Prefecture

Zhang You1，Zeren Huazhen2

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2023.3.006

Abstract：

Based on the requirements of rural revitalization and the development trend of the homestay industry， through an analysis of the basic state of tourism in Wenchuan， as well as the current development of the homestay industry and extended development of its surrounding industries， this paper holds that the homestay industry， as an important driver of the optimization of the industrial structure， is a significant development channel for leading rural development， agricultural transformation， and letting farmers get rich. However， this study finds that the growth of the homestay industry is still facing problems such as imperfect development elements of the homestay industry， a lag in the supply of basic and supporting facilities， difficulty in filling the vacancies of specialized talent， limited sources of capital， a lack of variety in industrial types， a non-coordinated expansion of the homestay industry， imbalanced development of homestay industries between different regions， a narrowness in promotional scope， imperfection in the management systems of the homestay industry， a lack of scientific and reasonable planning in the growth of the homestay industry， and a lack of the organization of and guidance for the industrial associations.

In view of this， this paper argues that the convergence point between the homestay industry and rural revitalization should be identified， and proposes a four-way linkage model of “government- enterprise- association- operator” in order to realize an effective supply for the homestay industry. To be more specific， first of all， one should strengthen government support and promote coordinated progress， for example by improving the construction of supportive facilities， improving the carrying capacity of Wenchuan County， implementing the “1+N” model， enriching the business forms of homestay， innovating the methods for generating publicity， improving core competitiveness， establishing governmental management organizations， improving the operation system， and strengthening follow-up supervision. Secondly， enterprise capital investment should be introduced and full play be given to the advantages of inter-firm cooperation， including encouraging enterprises to participate in homestay business， strengthening cooperation with scenic travel agencies， integrating tourism resources around homestays， strengthening cooperation with tourism-related businesses and creative enterprises， and highlighting brand characteristics. Then fully expand and use the organization and management role of the homestay industry association， and finally improve the management and service level of the homestay operators， including strengthening the training and development， improving the management level of the homestay operators， adhering to the principle of “customer is king”， and strengthening the discovery and honing of the homestay talent to create a specific path for the development of the homestay industry to promote the overall revitalization of the countryside.

In brief，the homestay industry in Wenchuan has injected new vitality into local economic development. At the same time， rich tourism resources and the homestay industry can complement each other， potentially laying a solid foundation for a rapid startup and vigorous rise of the homestay industry. In the context of the rural revitalization strategy， the homestay industry in Wenchuan may usher in many new development opportunities.

Key Words：

homestay industry; rural revitalization; Wenchuan; rural tourism