Minorities and tourism: community perspectives from Yunnan, China

Tourismhas significant impacts on many communities where options for development are often limited. This paper examines ethnic minorities' perceptions of tourism impacts and their attitudes towards further development. Multiple research methods, including surveys, interviews, and observations were adopted in case studies conducted in two ethnic tourist villages, Dai Yuan and Mengjinglai, in Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China. The findings indicate that these minority people generally have favourable perceptions of tourism impacts from socio-cultural, economic, and environmental perspectives, and would welcome further development of tourism. However, some negative aspects of tourism are perceived by a minority but considerable number of people. Tourism is operated by outside companies and local residents are generally excluded from park management and receive little economic benefit. Thus, minority residents should be more involved in tourism planning and management.