The Application of Collaborative Governance Model in Rural Tourism Development: An Evaluation from the Perspective of Homestay Owners in Yuhu Village

As part of China’s broader efforts to promote rural revitalization and sustainable tourism, rural tourism has emerged as a key platform for integrating economic development with cultural heritage. However, local governance still encounters core challenges in coordinating policies, aligning implementation efforts, and managing diverse stakeholder interests. Thus, this study examines the homestay industry in Yuhu Village, Yunnan Province, to investigate the real-world context and functioning mechanisms of coordinated governance in rural tourism. Through in-depth conversations with eight homestay owners, it is found that the relationships among stakeholders within the governance structure are far more complex than described in the literature. Many owners assume multiple roles simultaneously, such as functioning both as resource users and as subjects of regulatory oversight. This role overlap often leads to operational ambiguities and challenges. Moreover, building trust typically relies on long-term interaction, but inconsistencies in policy enforcement can make such trust fragile. Thus, the results show that future governance models should place greater emphasis on local contexts, promote more inclusive and flexible mechanisms, and strengthen collaboration among intermediary stakeholders, in order to balance economic development with cultural heritage preservation.