Evaluation of the Sustainable Development of Traditional Ethnic Village Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Jiaju Tibetan Village in Danba County, China

Abstract

In the process of development, traditional villages, as important tourism resources, have been impacted by external factors and lost their original authenticity. Looking for the important factors affecting its tourism development, in an attempt to assist the sustainable development of a rural destination, is Jiaju Tibetan Village in the Southwest of China. The sustainable evaluation index system divides the assessment criteria into five guideline layers: economic development, ethnic culture, management, sustainable development, and infrastructure and service facilities. The sub-criteria layer and the index layer under each of the guideline layers were refined, and matrices were constructed for various layers of indices, which calculate the weight of each indicator to produce a comprehensive score of the destination’s sustainability. The findings of this study are as follow: ① the Tibetan ethnic cultural life experience and the convenience of transportation are the most influential factors. ② Jiaju Tibetan Village is in a stage of basic sustainable development. ③ The determinants of the indicators should be adjusted according to the tourist destination. ④ Traditional villages should learn from each other’s tourism development experience. Finally, this study provides a reference for adjusting and formulating the tourism development strategy of ethnic traditional villages, and reasonable planning to use land, and plays an exemplary role for the development of traditional villages in concentrated ethnic minority areas.