Understanding rural tourism developments by meme mapping and tourist’ perception assessment: case study of two villages with ethnic characteristics in Jingning County, China

The development of tourism in rural villages enriched with local ethnic cultural elements serves both as a conservation strategy and a developmental opportunity, making practical design and management for these villages increasingly significant. The integration of meme mapping with tourists’ perception assessment is helpful for the preservation and revitalization of cultural heritage. This study focuses on the comprehensive evaluation of rural tourism developments in two traditional villages in Jingning County, China, i.e. Jitou Village and Dongnong Village, which were inhabited by both She-and-Han-ethnic people. We conducted an in-situ meme mapping based on an organised information chain of memes, coupled with a questionnaire analysis on an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-based subjective tourists’ landscape perception assessment of scenic sites (LPASS). This methodological approach facilitates the quantitative evaluation of the quality of local cultural tourism developments. Furthermore, the memes and tourists’ perceptions between two villages were analysed and compared. Our findings indicate that the existing memes in both villages share many commonalities and differences. Also, these meme characteristics and practical maintenance efforts influenced tourists’ perceptions of scenic sites. Suggestions for enhancing rural sustainable tourism were formulated using a “fusion design” approach accordingly.