Decision-Making Factors in Rural Tourism for Poverty Alleviation: Qualitative Insights from Jianchuan County, China

Over the past decades, rural tourism has emerged as a vital tool for governments, grassroots communities, and international organizations to combat poverty. While existing literature primarily examines the economic, social, and sustainability impacts of rural tourism on poverty alleviation, there is a notable gap in research on the initial decision-making process behind selecting rural tourism as a poverty alleviation strategy. The reasons why rural areas opt for tourism as a solution to poverty remain fragmented and unclear. This paper qualitatively explores why rural areas choose tourism as a strategy to alleviate poverty. Using semi-structured interviews in Jianchuan County, China, the study identifies key factors influencing this decision and how they interact. The findings reveal that rural tourism in Jianchuan County is driven by local assets, government intervention, and external networks, transforming cultural heritage into viable poverty alleviation tools. These findings can help the academic community systematize and enrich research on this issue. Additionally, they can assist other rural areas in carefully examining their own development conditions, analyzing advantages and disadvantages, and making targeted decisions when considering rural tourism for poverty alleviation.