Cognizing and Choosing Model for Rural Tourism Development in Nonoptimal Tourism District: A Case Study of Moutuo Village in Qiang Minority Community, Southwestern China

This paper aims to compare three models in terms of development policies, development potentials and operational mechanism by evaluating, identifying and choosing the best one to meet the needs of tourism development and management in the nonoptimal tourism districts (NTDs). The methods of Participatory Rural Tourism Appraisal and Analytic Hierarchy Process are employed to collect the necessary data and analyze the key issues of three models. According to the analysis, market-oriented rural tourism development model and resource-oriented rural tourism development model are suitable for Moutuo community at the beginning stage of tourism development, while industry-oriented rural tourism development model is potential and beneficial to its further development. Some effective management practices for different models are recommended to overcome the barriers of nonoptimal characteristics and balance the interest of tourism stakeholders. And sustainable development of rural tourism in NTD could come true with the guidance of rational models and polycentric management.