Restructuring human-animal relations in rural tourism destinations

Various animals are integral inhabitants of rural areas. Together with humans and other nonhuman entities, they constitute the countryside. Rural tourism development is reshaping these components and their interrelations; however, previous studies on tourism-driven rural restructuring have largely focussed on humans while paying limited attention to animals and their agency. Drawing on a relational perspective, this study adopts multispecies ethnography to explore how human-animal relations are restructured through touristification in Xidi and Hongcun villages, China. We suggest that animals, humans, and other nonhuman entities form dynamic relational networks within which animals exercise agency through their physical traits, biological needs, and social behaviours. These networks give rise to reconfigured, resistant, and foregrounded human-animal relations. We further contend that human-animal relations restructuring should be understood as a more-than-human process in which animals become entangled with other material and discursive components, collectively shaping human-animal relations rather than being always dominated by humans. We conclude by offering nuanced insights into tourism-induced rural restructuring and calling for the adoption of multispecies-friendly and inclusive tourism destination management policies.