FACTORS INFLUENCING FRUIT FARMERS’ WILLINGNESS TO ENGAGE IN RURAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF RURAL REVITALIZATION IN YINGKOU, CHINA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1143038Keywords:
Environmental Perception, Fruit Farmers, Participation Willingness, Rural Tourism, Structural Equation ModelingAbstract
Rural tourism has become an important pathway for promoting rural revitalization and narrowing the urban–rural development gap. Yingkou in Liaoning Province is a major fruit-producing area and an important rural tourism destination, making it a suitable setting for this study. This study aims to examine the factors influencing fruit farmers’ willingness to engage in rural tourism development. Based on survey data collected from 275 fruit farmers in two villages and four towns in Bayuquan District, the study employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for empirical analysis. The results show that perceived economic environment has a significant positive effect on participation willingness. Among its dimensions, expected economic benefits emerge as the strongest influencing factor. Perceived policy environment also significantly promotes farmers’ willingness to participate. Although perceived living environment is positively associated with participation willingness, its effect is not statistically significant. These findings offer practical guidance for local governments and rural planners in designing targeted support policies to enhance farmers’ participation in rural tourism.
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