PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2010, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (10): 1263-1272.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2010.10.015

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Tourism Development in Minority Counties: Taking 16 Minority Counties of the Miao and Dong minorities' Autonomous Prefecture of Southeast Guizhou as an Example

LI Rui1,2, YIN Hongmei3   

  1. 1. School of Geographical &|Environmental Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China;
    2. School of Tourism &|Economic Development, Kaili College, Kaili 556000, China;
    3. School of International Tourism &|Culture, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, China
  • Online:2010-10-25 Published:2010-10-25

Abstract:

Tourism development in minority areas has achieved a qualitative leap in west China since comprehensively implementing development strategies of west China. The authors also discovered that the research literatures about tourism development in minority areas had became a stable research direction in the field of tourism theories in China. However, the practices of tourism development in minority areas in China indicated that tourism development level was one of the important roles for weighing the tourism sustainable development in minority areas of western China. Therefore, evaluation should be conducted scientifically of the tourism development in various minority counties, and the strategies for sustainable tourism development in various minority areas should be formulated with clear goals. This article established a comprehensive evaluation index system for the county tourism development in minority regions of western China. At the same time, it used factor analysis (FA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) to analyze quantitatively and evaluate comprehensively the tourism development of 16 minority counties in the Miao and Dong minorities' Autonomous Prefecture of southeast Guizhou. The results indicated that the overall evaluation score for the county with a developed tourism (Kaili) was 1.510. Counties with better tourism (Leishan, Zhenyuan, Shibing, Liping, Congjiang and Rongjiang) developed comparatively quickly and gradually grew up as the core tourism counties. Counties with moderately developed tourism (Jinping, Taijiang, Jianhe, Huangping, Majiang and Danzhai) had a large development potential. Counties with undeveloped tourism (Cengong, Sansui and Tianzhu) developed comparatively slowly. Above conclusions revealed the characteristic and regular pattern of tourism development of minority counties in order to provide the conference foundations on tourism sustainable development of minority counties..

Key words: Autonomous Prefecture of Southeast Guizhou, comprehensive evaluation, quantitatively, tourism development, minority county