Resumen de Rural Tourism Research in China: 1997-2006

Xinmei Zhang, Liping A. Cai, Rich Harrill

• This article identifies five themes in Chinese rural tourism studies, including (1) definitions of rural tourism, (2) rural tourism planning and development, (3) pragmatic challenges and solutions, and (4) policies and impacts. Further, these themes are grouped by three methodological approaches, including supply-side perspectives, policy-oriented research, and descriptive methods. The article is based on the review and synthesis of 325 research articles published between 1997 and 2006 in China. The findings contribute to an understanding of China's rural tourism industry and current state of academic research on rural tourism issues unique to China but having global significance.