Community support for tourism in China's Dong ethnic villages

Many indigenous communities are greatly influenced by tourism development and their support for tourism matters to both developers and tourists' experiences. Therefore, it is important to understand the meaning and attributes of their support for tourism. This paper explores such advocacy in two Dong ethnic villages in southwest China. Twelve semi-structured interviews and 377 questionnaires were completed with Dong villagers to elicit their attitudes and behaviors regarding support for tourism. It is shown that support of local tourism development has two main dimensions: 'hospitality' and 'authenticity'. The former is about willingness to welcome tourists, whereas the latter is mainly concerned with their interest in sharing an authentic lifestyle. Subtle differences exist among two study villages due to their different stages of tourism development and different degrees of dependence on tourism. Those who are engaged in tourism are more hospitable towards tourists and more willing to share their authentic culture. The voices of indigenous people are represented and understanding of support for tourism is enriched. Management implications are suggested.