In the development of rural ecotourism projects, villagers and tourism operators have had a rich variety of interactions, ranging from heartwarming stories of cooperation to occasional conflicts. In terms of cooperation, tourism planners have developed scientific and reasonable tourism development plans for villages, fully integrating local natural and cultural resources and designing unique tourist routes and projects, greatly enhancing the village's tourism appeal. For example, after in-depth investigation of the village, a senior tourism planner, combining the local landscape and folk culture, proposed a "Landscape and Folk Culture Experience Tour," cleverly integrating ecotourism, folk experiences, and local cuisine tasting, making the tourist experience richer and more diverse. Villagers actively cooperated with the planner's implementation, providing land resources and labor to jointly promote the tourism project. Tour guides, with their professional explanations and enthusiastic service, conveyed the village's beauty and culture to tourists, attracting many visitors. One tour guide, Xiao Li, was extremely knowledgeable about the village's history and culture, vividly recounting ancient legends and traditional customs during each tour, captivating tourists and further deepening their interest in the village.
However, conflicts also occur from time to time. Some visiting tour guides, in pursuit of higher profits, encourage tourists to overspend, recommending overpriced but mediocre souvenirs or food services, which angers the villagers. The villagers want tourists to truly experience the village's unique features and affordability, rather than being misled by unscrupulous guides. On one occasion, a visiting tour guide brought a group to the village and strongly recommended that tourists buy an expensive so-called "special handicraft," which was actually not made using traditional village techniques and was overpriced. Upon learning this, the villagers argued with the guide, believing he had damaged the village's tourism image. Furthermore, during peak tourist seasons, the influx of outside tourism operators puts pressure on the village's resource allocation. For example, when accommodation is scarce, some outside operators compete with villagers for customers, leading to strained relations.
Different types of tourists have significantly different needs for rural ecotourism projects. Families typically prioritize parent-child interaction and a relaxing vacation experience. They enjoy participating in green picking activities, allowing children to get close to nature and learn about the growth process of crops. For accommodation, they tend to choose comfortable and well-equipped farmhouses and have high requirements for the safety and variety of food. Statistics show that families spend an average of 300-500 yuan per person per day in villages, with accommodation and food accounting for about 60%, and picking and entertainment activities accounting for about 40%. Backpackers, on the other hand, seek more personalized travel experiences. They are enthusiastic about hiking and exploring the mountain trails of villages, seeking out less-traveled natural landscapes and ancient cultural relics. Their accommodation requirements are relatively simple, preferring affordable guesthouses or campsites. Backpackers' spending is relatively low, averaging about 200-300 yuan per person per day, mainly spent on transportation, food, and purchasing some unique handicrafts. Senior tour groups prioritize comfort and cultural enrichment in their travels. They enjoy leisurely strolls through ancient villages, listening to guides explain historical and cultural stories, and participating in relaxing folk culture experiences. Senior citizen tour groups generally have strong spending power, averaging about 400-600 yuan per person per day, with the majority of this spent on purchasing unique souvenirs and enjoying high-quality dining services.
Lin Yue implemented a series of effective measures to balance tourism development with the daily lives of villagers. Regarding noise pollution, she stipulated operating hours for tourist attractions and prohibited large-scale tourism promotion activities or entertainment performances during villagers' rest periods. To address traffic congestion, she organized villagers to widen the village's main roads and planned dedicated parking lots for tourists, guiding them to park in an orderly manner. Simultaneously, she assigned personnel to direct traffic during peak tourist seasons to ensure smooth traffic flow. These measures have yielded significant results. Noise pollution complaints have decreased markedly, and villagers' sleep quality has been improved. Traffic congestion has also been greatly reduced, significantly impacting villagers' daily travel and allowing tourists to enter and leave the village more easily.
Rural ecotourism has had multifaceted impacts on the social structure of villages. In terms of interpersonal relationships, on the one hand, villagers have become more connected with the outside world, meeting tourists and tourism professionals from different regions and expanding their social circles. Cooperation among villagers has also become more frequent, with joint operation of tourism projects strengthening neighborly relations. However, on the other hand, some conflicts have also emerged. For example, some villagers engaged in tourism services earn higher incomes, while the income growth of some villagers primarily engaged in traditional agriculture has been relatively slow, leading to a widening income gap among families. This has, to some extent, caused psychological imbalances among villagers.
To address these issues, Lin Yue adopted proactive strategies. She spearheaded the establishment of a village tourism development cooperative, encouraging all villagers to participate and share in the benefits of tourism development through profit-sharing. For villagers engaged in traditional agriculture, she guided them to cultivate specialty agricultural products and sell them through rural ecotourism, such as organizing agricultural product fairs and launching "farmhouse vegetable garden adoption" programs to increase their income. Simultaneously, she organized various cultural activities and training courses to enhance communication and understanding among villagers and alleviate conflicts arising from income inequality.
Lin Yue felt gratified as she watched the village revitalize thanks to rural ecotourism. However, she also clearly recognized that the increasing number of tourists brought new problems and challenges. For example, the growing number of tourists put pressure on the village's ecological environment; some tourists littered, damaging the scenic area's cleanliness. The carrying capacity of tourism facilities was also being tested; during peak tourist seasons, accommodation and catering at farmhouses sometimes became strained. Furthermore, the quality of tourism services needed further improvement; some villagers, lacking experience in tourism services, might provide inadequate service to tourists.
Faced with these problems, Lin Yue did not back down but actively sought solutions. She organized villagers to form a tourism environmental protection volunteer team, regularly carrying out garbage cleanup and environmental maintenance work within the scenic area. She also installed more trash cans and environmental protection signs, strengthened environmental education for tourists, and guided them to practice civilized tourism. To improve the carrying capacity of tourism facilities, Lin Yue encouraged villagers to expand and upgrade their agritainment businesses, adding accommodation rooms and dining seating, and strengthening the management and maintenance of tourism facilities to ensure their safety and reliability. Regarding improving the quality of tourism services, Lin Yue invited professional tourism trainers to train the villagers in areas such as tourism etiquette, catering service skills, and room service standards. Through this training, the villagers' tourism service level has significantly improved.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Lin Yue stood at the entrance of the village, watching the tourists gradually disperse in the distance, her heart filled with hope for the future. She believes that with reasonable planning and scientific management, rural ecotourism will surely become a shining name card for the village's development, allowing the village to go further and further on the road of ecological protection and economic development, and achieve true sustainable development.
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