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Rural Tourism Households Adapting to Seasonality: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study

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  • Zhen Su

    (Department of Tourism Management, Business School, Guangxi University, No. 100 East Daxue Road, Nanning 530004, China
    Guangxi Development Strategy Institute, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Kun Xian

    (Department of Tourism Management, Business School, Guangxi University, No. 100 East Daxue Road, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Dandan Lu

    (Department of Tourism Management, Business School, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning 530008, China)

  • Wenhui Wang

    (Department of Tourism Management, Business School, Guangxi University, No. 100 East Daxue Road, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Yinghong Zheng

    (Department of Tourism Management, Business School, Guangxi University, No. 100 East Daxue Road, Nanning 530004, China)

  • Tanaporn Khotphat

    (Airline Business Program, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Suan Dusit University, Bangkok 10300, Thailand)

Abstract

The inherent vulnerability of tourism poses a substantial challenge to maintaining the productivity and stability of livelihoods among rural tourism households. Although tourism seasonality significantly influences the livelihood activities of rural tourism households, research exploring how they adapt their livelihood strategies to achieve optimal outcomes is limited. Employing an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design that combines thematic analysis and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we investigated the relationship between the livelihood strategies and outcomes of rural tourism households under the influence of tourism seasonality in the Lijiang scenic spot of China. The results indicate that livelihood strategies adopted by rural tourism households include “Tourism Persistence”, “Seasonal Employment”, and “Seasonal Farming” during the off-season and “Extending Working Hours”, “Increasing Staffing Input”, and “Increasing Capital Input” during the peak season. Furthermore, these strategies form flexible combinations to realize livelihood outcomes, with “Extending Working Hours” being a necessary condition. The findings also revealed that the four configurations of seasonal livelihood strategies in the two patterns significantly contributed to high livelihood outcomes. One is named “Peak-Season Driven Pattern”; the other is named “Peak-Off Blend-Driven Pattern”. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights for sustainable livelihood research.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhen Su & Kun Xian & Dandan Lu & Wenhui Wang & Yinghong Zheng & Tanaporn Khotphat, 2023. "Rural Tourism Households Adapting to Seasonality: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:19:p:14158-:d:1247131
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    References listed on IDEAS

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