Can cultural tourism resources become a development feature helping rural areas to revitalize the local economy under the epidemic? An exploration ...
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Open Geosciences 2022; 14: 590–606
Research Article
Hsiao Hsien Lin, I-Yun Chen, Shih-Yun Lu, Yi-Han Tseng, and Jao-Chuan Lin*
Can cultural tourism resources become a
development feature helping rural areas to
revitalize the local economy under the epidemic?
An exploration of the perspective of
attractiveness, satisfaction, and willingness
by the revisit of Hakka cultural tourism
https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0358 media marketing, planning for proper tourism informa-
received October 14, 2021; accepted February 08, 2022 tion, and public transportation construction effectiveness.
Abstract: This study aims to analyze the impact of attrac- However, there is also a need to improve the current situa-
tiveness, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit in the tion of rural tourism transportation and transportation
perception of cultural tourism tourists and whether cul- facilities, inject young development manpower, improve
tural tourism could be a remedy to revitalize rural eco- the knowledge and skills of the elderly to start their
nomic development under the epidemic, using the Hakka businesses, develop business opportunities, and stabil-
settlement in Hukeng town as a case study. In this study, ize prices, and improve the quality and satisfaction of
a mixed research method is applied to collect 670 ques- tourists to promote the desire to travel. The higher the
tionnaires by snowball sampling and used SPSS 26.0 attractiveness, the higher the satisfaction, and the stronger
statistical software to conduct basic statistical valida- the willingness to revisit.
tion and Pearson product-moment correlation coeffi- Keywords: Hakka, cultural tourism, cultivating the mind,
cient (PPMCC) validation; the semi-structured is also aging society, human resources
used semi-structured interviews to collect the opinions
of six experts and scholars, and the final results were
examined by multivariate validation. The researchers
found the following dimensions to be attractive for tour- 1 Introduction
ists to experience cultural tourism: rural scenery, heri-
tage museums and cultural goods, low spending, use of With the development of technology and the improve-
ment of quality of life, people’s desire for leisure and
tourism is increasing [1]. Although the tourism industry
* Corresponding author: Jao-Chuan Lin, Department of Marine and development characteristics vary from country to
Leisure Management, National Kaohsiung University of Science and country, and the supporting technologies and techniques
Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (R.O.C.), e-mail: jcl@nkust.edu.tw are being improved, the ease of communication through
Hsiao Hsien Lin: School of Physical Education, Jiaying University, the Internet has allowed countries to influence and learn
514015 Meizhou, Guangdong Province, China; Department of
from each other when making tourism decisions, resulting
Leisure Industry Management, National Chin-Yi University of
Technology, Taichung, Taiwan in less and less differences in tourism decisions and
I-Yun Chen: Department of Finance, National Changhua University of industrial development models across countries, and
Education, Changhua 50074, Taiwan (R.O.C.) the disappearance of unique differences in tourism desti-
Shih-Yun Lu: Department of Digital Content and Technology, nations, which also affects tourists’ willingness to travel
National Taichung University of Education, Taichung 403454,
[2]. Therefore, it is important to explore the characteristics
Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Yi-Han Tseng: Department of Tourism Leisure and Health
of tourism, develop new tourism resources, and establish
Management, Chung Chou University of Science and Technology, different tourism models to provide tourists with new
Yuanlin, Changhua County 510, Taiwan (R.O.C.) options.
Open Access. © 2022 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al., published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License.Cultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 591
Culture is a process of human cultivation [3], which found after a period of policy development and promo-
can be described as a state or habit of people’s mind [4] tion [18], and various problems are detrimental to the
and can be seen as a state of the intellectual development development of the tourism market at this stage.
of life and art [5]. Cultural tourism refers to the develop- Tourism activity is a behavior and a phenomenon
ment of tourism activities characterized by local habits, [19], while cultural tourism activity is a theme of activity
language, and other humanities and arts-related resources with a predominantly spiritual dimension [3–6]. Although
and can be seen as a form of tourism on a spiritual level the phenomenon of tourism activity is very active, it is not
[5,6]. As the quality of life for people improves, their spiritual easy to actually involve people in tourism activities. The
and cultural needs no longer remain at a purely intellectual factors that motivate people to go to tourism activities
level, and due to shorter travel times, more and more people need to be stimulated by certain attractive factors of the
wish to explore or travel to experience or understand the charm tourist place, which create the desire to travel in people’s
of different ethnic cultures [5,7]. Therefore, cultural-themed minds [20]. Moreover, tourism is expected to be sustain-
tourism activities that utilize the language, humanities, art, able, and the most direct and effective way to build sus-
architecture, and other relevant cultural characteristics of local tainable tourist places depends on the positive experience
ethnic groups are gradually becoming the trend of future perceptions of tourists and their future consumption inten-
tourism development [6–9]. tions [56]. Therefore, by providing actual participants’ per-
The Hakka people originated in China and are an sonal experiences of local tourism characteristics, decision
important branch of the Han Chinese in the south. Initially, effectiveness, and tourism desires, it can help understand
they migrated from the middle and lower reaches of the and improve the current tourism development dilemma
Yellow River to Guangdong, Fujian, and Jiangxi in China to [18,21,22], enhance people’s desire to travel, and improve
escape from wars and disasters to struggle for their new life. tourism markets.
During their long-term survival and adaptation, a Hakka Studies have confirmed that the higher the attractive-
culture with different languages, cultures, arts, and customs ness of tourism [23,24], the higher the willingness to con-
was formed [10]. The Hakka settlement in Hukeng, Yongding sume, the higher the positive satisfaction with tourism,
District, Longyan City, Fujian Province, is one of the Hakka then the higher the willingness to consume [25,26], the
settlements in China. In addition to the Hakka language, stronger the positive feelings about the overall planning
food, drama, music, dance, handicrafts, and folk festivals, of the tourist place, and the higher the approval of the
there are 1,560 Fujian Tulous, which is currently listed as one decision to develop the tourist place [16,22–28]. There-
of the World Heritage Sites [11]. In addition to attracting fore, to understand the potential of using culture to
1,501,000 tourists and generating $1,154,400,000 in business develop tourism industries in rural areas, it is important
opportunities in 2018 [12], Hakka culture has contributed to a to explore tourists’ perceptions of the attractiveness of
14% increase in demand for cultural tourism in China, gen- tourist places, understand their feelings after the tourism
erating an estimated $418,377,000,000 in profits [13]. This experience, and seek their perceived willingness to revisit,
indicates that Hakka cultural tourism activities have a strong which will help analyze the possibility of using Hakka or
potential for development. It is evident that, to improve the other established ethnic cultures to develop tourism activ-
economic situation in rural areas and develop future tourism, ities and industries in rural areas.
promoting tourism activities with the theme of local cultural The use of cultural features or activities for tourism
resources will be one of the development options for future development has gradually become one of the mainstays
tourism decisions. of the tourism market, and related cultural tourism stu-
However, although the promotion of rural tourism dies have gradually begun to receive attention [16,22–31].
with local cultural resources is an emerging potential Many researchers have explored the attractiveness of cul-
development option and business opportunity, the global tural tourism [32,33] and tourist satisfaction [34,35], respec-
tourism industry has been hit with the impact of the epi- tively, and many have studied tourism attractiveness, satis-
demic [14,15]. The development characteristics of the pro- faction, and willingness to travel [16,22–28]. Although there
ducts and activities of tourism attractions do not vary has been a gradual increase in the number of studies
much from country to country [16]. The environmental exploring tourism-related issues with the Hakka theme
risks of tourism are relatively high [17]. In addition, [4–40,56], no studies analyzing the attractiveness, satisfac-
tourism policy development and planning are full of tion, and willingness to revisit Hakka culture tourism in the
ideals, but due to differences in people, events, and field of rural tourism market development have been found.
things, the effectiveness of policy development and pro- Therefore, the researchers believe that it would be a mean-
motion can be lacking, and these changes are usually ingful topic to explore the feasibility of using Hakka culture592 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
to promote rural tourism activities from the perspective of cultural group through war, natural disasters, and strug-
tourists in terms of tourism attractiveness, satisfaction, and gles over time, and their footprints have even spread
willingness to revisit. around the world [10,41–44]. Hakka cultural tourism is
Therefore, this article took Hukeng town as a case the development of unique tourism activities based on
study of Hakka cultural tourism to understand the cur- the themes of Hakka culture and history, life and cuisine,
rent situation of Hakka cultural tourism development by art and architecture, and the construction of tourism
tourists’ perceptions of the attractiveness, satisfaction, activities or products as a tourism characteristic and
and willingness to revisit for local tourism development. behavior pattern [10–13,38–40]. Hakka tourism develop-
The results of the case study are then used to infer and ment and research has a history of 26 years, and its
analyze whether Hakka cultural tourism can be a deci- research issues have gradually moved from vague regional
sion option for rural revitalization tourism development economics [42] to the analysis of local architecture and
under the epidemic. The researchers hope that the results historical and cultural characteristics [45,46], as well as
of this project and analysis can help local governments the current development status of village economic con-
and villages make better decisions in the future, as well struction [47] and culture and education [48], and have
as raise the importance of Hakka culture or cultural gradually increased the importance of operational mar-
tourism issues and fill the gaps in related literature and keting [49], consumer experience [50], international mar-
research fields. The results of this study can also serve as a keting [51], ecological and environmental impacts [52],
reference for other countries or villages with the same and cultural sustainability [53], among other important
or different ethnic cultural characteristics and ultimately topics. It is evident that there is a wealth of experience
develop emerging rural tourism markets and sustain and sound countermeasures for the development and
human culture. These are the main objectives of this study. research of Hakka cultural tourism.
Therefore, under the current epidemic, it is a feasible
decision to carry out tourism promotion activities with
Hakka culture as the theme to attract tourists’ consump-
2 Literature review tion, promote industrial revitalization, restore the glory of
the tourism industry, and improve the current situation
2.1 Hakka culture and tourism of rural development.
The global economy and industries have been hit hard by
the epidemic [14,15], the tourism market has shrunk [17],
and the difference between the types of tourism and indus- 2.2 Travel intentions
trial products has gradually decreased [16], which is not
conducive to the revitalization of the tourism market. The intention is an individual’s prediction of whether to
Culture is a community habit of life where people perform a future behavior [54]. It is also a desire to antici-
share the same spiritual and intellectual consensus, the pate or plan a future behavior and can determine the
same artistic and customary perceptions and values [3–5]. decision of the likelihood of the implementation of that
Cultural tourism is the development of tourism activities plan [55]. Conversely, travel intention is the frequency
and industries as a tourism phenomenon and a long-term and type of potential purchase behavior of an individual
constructed way of life, using language, humanities, and to engage in tourism activities and the likelihood of a
other characteristic resources as attractions [5,6]. Cultural tourist to visit a destination [56].
tourism, because of its economic, affordable, and diversi- Tourism destination choice is related to tourists’ atti-
fied characteristics [16], would be a favorable option for tudes, cognitive-behavioral control, and past behavior
tourism policy planning to re-enhance village develop- [56,57]. The main determinants of travel intentions lie
ment and revitalize the tourism market for a tourism in the subjective image of the destination by the tourist,
industry that is currently under-priced due to a shrinking which can also be considered a consumer behavior [57].
market, and for rural areas that are in urgent need of Consumers usually set the important attributes of each
economic development and environmental improvement. destination based on their preferences and then select
There are many different ethnic groups and different several attributes of their personal preferences as evalua-
cultures. The Hakka, originally one of the Han Chinese, tion criteria for choosing a destination [58]. The desire to
originated from the lower reaches of the Yellow River in travel to a destination can also be influenced by the
China but have evolved into a unique linguistic and image of the destination or the perceived effects of theCultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 593
actual experience [59]. Often, travel intentions can be the issues of landscape, climate, flora and fauna resources,
seen as a form of loyalty and can therefore be used to overall environment, history, museums, rural landscape,
understand decisions, such as whether visitors want food, specialties, festivals, accommodation, facilities, public
to travel again, simply share their experiences, or are toilets, parking lots, rest spaces, and media marketing, tour-
willing to actively recruit others to spend time with ists can analyze the local tourism image of the development
them [56–59]. effect. Then, through the analysis of tourism attractiveness
It can be seen that tourism intention theory can be and willingness to revisit, we can understand the key factors
used to analyze the effects of tourism development in a that influence tourists’ willingness to revisit local tourism.
region [55–59], i.e., whether tourists are willing to visit,
simply share their experiences, or actively invite others to
spend money with them.
2.4 Travel satisfaction and travel intentions
Tourist satisfaction refers to the role of product perfor-
2.3 Tourism attractiveness and travel mance in the formation of customer satisfaction, the
intentions result of which is generated by the comparison between
the consumer’s expectations and the tourist experience
Tourism attractiveness is a motivation that induces tour- on the spot [66]. It can be said that tourist satisfaction is
ists to leave their place of residence and motivates them the result of mutual evaluation of tourists’ motivation
to travel to their destination [60]. Although tourism attrac- and actual experience.
tiveness has both push and pull effects, both are poten- Tourist satisfaction is the pleasure that results from
tially influential factors in stimulating tourists’ planning the fulfillment of tourists’ needs [67]. Usually, tourists
behavior, as they may satisfy tourists internally or exter- judge whether they can be personally satisfied after
nally [61]. experiencing the effectiveness of the development of
The factors that influence tourism attractiveness are the landscape, infrastructure, environment, and social
quite diverse. Tourism attractiveness can be understood services of the tourist destination [68]. Tourist satisfac-
at the level of natural resources, human resources, tourism tion is influenced by personal purpose, personal expecta-
facilities, events, special events, and psychology [62]; it tions, and external environment [22–28]; subjective fac-
can also be analyzed in terms of the natural environment, tors affecting tourist satisfaction can also be considered
geo-relations, culture, tourism environment, policy, and in terms of personal attributes, tourism activities, tourism
price [63]; and it is more explored in terms of components, motivations, tourism preferences, and attitudes [56–59].
such as environmental landscape, cultural characteristics, The effectiveness of tourism development can be better
cultural and creative products, tourism facilities, spatial understood in terms of environmental landscape, cultural
capacity, marketing and promotion, tourism information, characteristics, cultural and creative products, tourism facil-
and price [64]. In addition, a more comprehensive study ities, spatial capacity, marketing and promotion, tourism
was conducted in terms of environmental landscape, cultural information, and prices [16,22–28,66–68]. Among them, a
characteristics, cultural and creative products, tourism facil- more comprehensive and detailed answer can be obtained
ities, spatial capacity, marketing and promotion, tourism by exploring the aspects of landscape, climate, flora and
information, and price [64]. In addition, more comprehensive fauna resources, general environment, history, museums,
and detailed answers can be obtained by exploring the land- rural landscape, food, specialties, festivals, accommodation,
scape, climate, flora and fauna resources, general environ- facilities, public toilets, parking lots, open spaces, and
ment, history, museums, rural landscape, food, specialties, media marketing. Studies have also confirmed that the
festivals, accommodation, facilities, public toilets, parking higher the satisfaction of visitors, the stronger the desire to
lots, open spaces, and media marketing [62–64]. Studies revisit [16,22–28].
have also confirmed that the higher the attractiveness According to tourist satisfaction theory [22–28,56–59,67,68],
of tourism, the stronger the desire of tourists to revisit tourist satisfaction can be classified at the level of environ-
[59,62–65]. mental landscape, cultural characteristics, cultural and
It can be seen that by analyzing the environmental creative products, tourism facilities, spatial capacity, mar-
landscape, cultural characteristics, cultural and creative pro- keting and promotion, tourism information, and price and
ducts, tourism facilities, spatial capacity, marketing and pro- then explored in terms of the landscape, climate, flora and
motion, tourism information, and prices and then exploring fauna resources, overall environment, history, museums,594 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
rural landscape, food, specialties, festivals, accommodations, 3.2 Research process, tools, and analysis
facilities, public toilets, parking lots, open spaces, and media
marketing to analyze visitors’ perceptions of the effectiveness The purpose of this study was to analyze tourists’ percep-
of the development of local tourism decisions. Further ana- tions of local tourism development in terms of attractiveness,
lysis in terms of tourist satisfaction and willingness to revisit satisfaction, and willingness to revisit. The questionnaire
can be used to understand the key factors that influence the instrument was developed with reference to the relevant
effectiveness of local tourism development on tourists’ will- literature on tourism attractiveness [60–65], satisfaction
ingness to travel. [16,22–28,56–59,66–68], and willingness to travel [54–59].
The questionnaire was divided into four parts: the first
part was background information, including gender (male,
female), age (under 20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, 61+),
3 Research methods and education level (below middle school, high school voca-
tional, college and university, graduate), and the next parts
were attractiveness, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit.
3.1 Research framework and hypotheses
The questions on tourism attractiveness were referenced
from [60–65] and the questions on satisfaction were refer-
The purpose of this article is to understand whether Hakka
enced from [16,22–28,56–59,66–68], with 30 questions each,
cultural tourism can be a possible decision-making plan-
including the sub-structures of natural environment and
ning option for rural revitalization tourism development
landscape, human/historical and cultural characteristics,
under the epidemic by analyzing the tourists’ perceptions
tourism facilities, tourism service facilities, location and
of local tourism development in terms of attractiveness,
capacity, media perception, tourism information and
satisfaction, and willingness to revisit, taking Hukeng town
environmental safety, and travel prices. Three questions
as a case study and Hakka cultural tourism as a theme. The
on tourism intention were developed based on relevant
current status of Hakka culture and Hakka cultural tourism
literature [54–59] with a 5-point Likert scale (1 for very
research and development was firstly obtained through the
dissatisfied and 5 for very satisfied) used for the question-
literature [10–13,41–52], and then the theoretical basis and
naire design. The questions compiled for the questionnaire
research framework were determined by referring to and
are shown in Table 1.
compiling the relevant literature on tourism attractiveness
Next, six experts with leisure or tourism backgrounds
[60–65], satisfaction [16,22–28,56–59,66–68], and willing-
were invited to content validate the preliminary questionnaire
ness to travel [54–59], as shown in Figure 1.
to confirm the validity of the questions, as shown in Table 2.
Based on the theoretical derivation of the above lit-
One hundred pretest questionnaires were first col-
erature, a research framework was developed and five
lected in May 2020, and the reliability of the questions
research hypotheses were proposed.
was collected and analyzed using the SPSS for Windows
H1: There is consistency in tourists’ perceptions of the
22.0 statistical package. The scale was suitable for con-
attractiveness of cultural tourism.
firmatory factor analysis when the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin
H2: There is consistency in tourists’ perceptions of cul-
value was higher than 0.06 and the p-value in Bartlett’s
tural tourist satisfaction.
test was less than 0.01 (p < 0.01) [69]. When the coeffi-
H3: There is consistency in tourists’ perceptions of the
cient α is greater than 0.60, it indicates good reliability of
desire to revisit cultural tourism.
the questionnaire [70] and can be used as a formal ques-
H4: There is a positive and significant relationship
tion for subsequent analysis and exploration. The results
between attractiveness and perceived desire to revisit.
of the analysis showed that all questions had α values
H5: There is a positive and significant relationship
greater than 0.6, so all questions could be retained and
between satisfaction and perception of desire to revisit.
could be used for subsequent analysis. The results of the
relevant analyses are shown in Table 3.
H1 H4
Tourism attractiveness
H2
Tourist Travel satisfaction H5
3.3 Analysis methods and limitations
H3
Travel intentions
The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of cul-
Figure 1: The research structure. tural tourism attractiveness, satisfaction, and willingnessCultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 595
Table 1: Overview of the questionnaire on tourism attractiveness, satisfaction, and willingness to revisit
Facet Issue
Background information Gender (male, female); age (under 20, 21–30, 31–40, 41–50, 51–60, over 61); education level (under junior
high school, senior high school and vocational school, college or university, research institute)
Tourism attractiveness Environmental quality; multi-climate; diversified animal and plant resources; comfortable environment; long
historical relics; Hakka Cultural Museum; Hakka rural landscape; traditional specialties; characteristic
cultural products; DIY experience activities; featured itinerary planning and festival activities; quality of food
and accommodation; convenience of travel information; public places and artistic lighting facilities; public
toilets; parking lot capacity; convenience of public transportation; accessibility to nearby attractions;
spacious space for activities and leisure; media promotion; Internet media marketing; friend introduced;
integrate school resources; complete medical equipment; direction signs, interpretive planning; service
quality of community organizations and tourist service centers; attraction ticket price; admission to
consumption measures; attractions without tickets; transportation rental price
Satisfaction Environmental quality; multi-climate; diversified animal and plant resources; comfortable environment; long
historical relics; Hakka Cultural Museum; Hakka rural landscape; traditional specialties; characteristic
cultural products; DIY experience activities; featured itinerary planning and festival activities; quality of food
and accommodation; convenience of travel information; public places and artistic lighting facilities; public
toilets; parking lot capacity; convenience of public transportation; accessibility to nearby attractions;
spacious space for activities and leisure; media promotion; Internet media marketing; friend introduced;
integrate school resources; complete medical equipment; direction signs, interpretive planning; service
quality of community organizations and tourist service centers; attraction ticket price; admission to
consumption measures; attractions without tickets; transportation rental price
Willingness to revisit Willing to come again to participate in activities; willing to share travel experience; willing to revisit the
place
to revisit, using the Hakka settlement in Hukeng Township survey. However, due to the risk of epidemic infection, a
as a case study and whether cultural tourism can be a snowball sampling method was used to collect the ques-
remedy to revitalize the economic development of rural tionnaire data using an online questionnaire platform. A
areas under the epidemic. In this study, a mixed research total of 670 valid questionnaires were obtained, and basic
approach was used, starting with a quantitative survey statistical tests and PPMCC analysis were performed using
and using a convenience sampling method for the field SPSS 26.0 statistical software. Six scholars, tourists, and
Table 2: Respondent’s background information and an overview of the interview outline
Identity Gender Residence time/years of work experience Identity Gender Residence time/years of work experience
Leisure Male 25 Tourist Male 9
Leisure Female 30 Tourist Female 5
Tourist Female 15 Elders Female 55
Construct Issues
Impact of tourism development 1. Based on the results of the questionnaire analysis, what do you think is the most attractive option
for tourists to local Hakka cultural tourism? What are the reasons for their choice?
2. Based on the results of the questionnaire analysis, what do you think is the best option for tourists
to experience the effectiveness of the development of local Hakka cultural tourism? What are the
reasons for their choice?
3. Regarding the results of the questionnaire analysis, in the analysis results, what are the reasons
for the selection of the results of tourism attractiveness and the willingness of re-routing?
4. Regarding the results of the questionnaire analysis, in the analysis results, what are the reasons
for the selection of the results of tourist satisfaction and re-routing willingness?
5. The answers to the above related questions, for local or other rural villages with distinctive culture,
if the theme of culture is in the future, what kind of help will it bring to the development of village
tourism?596 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
Table 3: Questionnaire analysis of perceptions of tourism attractiveness, satisfaction and willingness to revisit
Secondary facets Issue M SD Cronbach’s α
Tourism attractiveness Natural environment Environmental quality 3.90 0.799 0.657
landscape Multi-climate 3.71 0.800 0.745
Diversified animal and plant resources 3.79 0.800 0.788
Comfortable environment 4.19 0.687 0.775
Traditional Humanities Long historical relics 4.23 0.675 0.830
and Industry Hakka Cultural Museum 4.17 0.706 0.812
Hakka rural landscape 4.12 0.732 0.854
Traditional specialties 4.40 0.693 0.856
Characteristic culture Characteristic cultural products 3.54 0.917 0.745
DIY experience activities 3.81 0.817 0.746
Featured itinerary planning and festival 3.69 0.805 0.795
activities
Tourist facilities Quality of food and accommodation 3.79 0.696 0.776
Convenience of travel information 3.81 0.742 0.810
Public places and artistic lighting facilities 3.81 0.658 0.799
Public toilets 3.65 0.861 0.842
Location and capacity Parking lot capacity 3.75 0.711 0.839
Convenience of public transportation 3.69 0.853 0.778
Accessibility to nearby attractions 3.73 0.843 0.826
Spacious space for activities and leisure 4.02 0.779 0.770
Media visibility Media promotion 3.79 0.871 0.830
Internet media marketing 3.71 0.800 0.816
Friend introduced 3.81 0.908 0.786
Integrate school resources 3.69 0.875 0.843
Travel information and Complete medical equipment 3.67 0.760 0.898
environmental safety Direction signs, interpretive planning 3.98 0.727 0.883
Service quality of community organizations 3.83 0.785 0.846
and tourist service centers
Tour price Attraction ticket price 3.65 0.861 0.836
Admission to consumption measures 3.48 1.038 0.872
Attractions without tickets 3.58 0.997 0.825
Transportation rental price 3.63 0.793 0.886
Travel satisfaction Natural environment Environmental quality 3.94 0.752 0.658
landscape Multi-climate 3.88 0.704 0.750
Diversified animal and plant resources 3.77 0.807 0.789
Comfortable environment 4.06 0.826 0.770
Traditional Humanities Long historical relics 4.21 0.637 0.830
and Industry Hakka Cultural Museum 4.17 0.617 0.813
Hakka rural landscape 4.13 0.627 0.855
Traditional specialties 4.10 0.823 0.856
Characteristic culture Characteristic cultural products 3.67 0.901 0.747
DIY experience activities 3.81 0.768 0.742
Featured itinerary planning and festival 3.77 0.703 0.796
activities
Tourist facilities Quality of food and accommodation 3.83 0.785 0.776
Convenience of travel information 3.94 0.752 0.812
Public places and artistic lighting facilities 3.79 0.723 0.799
Public toilets 3.67 0.857 0.843
Location and capacity Parking lot capacity 3.85 0.849 0.840
Convenience of public transportation 3.88 0.808 0.778
Accessibility to nearby attractions 3.83 0.857 0.827
Spacious space for activities and leisure 4.02 0.754 0.774
Media visibility Media promotion 3.92 0.763 0.835
Internet media marketing 3.81 0.841 0.812
Friend introduced 3.81 0.817 0.788
Integrate school resources 3.69 0.875 0.845
(Continued)Cultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 597
Table 3: Continued
Secondary facets Issue M SD Cronbach’s α
Travel information and Complete medical equipment 3.58 0.871 0.899
environmental safety Direction signs, interpretive planning 3.94 0.698 0.885
Service quality of community organizations 3.67 0.834 0.847
and tourist service centers
Tour price Attraction ticket price 3.65 0.947 0.837
Admission to consumption measures 3.50 0.980 0.874
Attractions without tickets 3.71 0.977 0.827
Transportation rental price 3.69 0.875 0.884
Willingness to revisit Willing to come again to participate in 3.69 1.001 0.807
activities
Willing to share travel experience 3.69 0.853 0.813
Willing to revisit the place 4.00 0.657 0.886
residents were interviewed through semi-structured inter- 3.5 Analysis and discussion
views to provide their opinions on the results of the ques-
tionnaire analysis. After that, all data were organized in a The researchers distributed a total of 800 questionnaires
rigorous, orderly, and logical manner, and then the valu- and finally obtained 670 formal questionnaires, with an
able information was summarized through a synthesis, effective recovery rate of 83.7%. The data were examined
organization, and collation method [71]. Finally, the data using SPSS software, basic statistical tests, and Pearson
were examined in a multi-data and multi-perspective manner correlation analysis.
through a multivariate validation method [72,73].
Due to the impact of the epidemic and the limitations of
time, funding, sample size, and sample background informa-
tion, the present study may suffer from errors and shortcom- 3.6 Basic information analysis
ings in the number of questionnaires, research methods, and
analysis of results. Recommendations are provided at the end The 670 valid questionnaires were analyzed by statistical
of this article for subsequent researchers to revise and explore. analysis. The gender of the visitors was mostly male
(51.3%); the age group of 21–30 years old was the most
common (32.1%); the education level of college or uni-
3.4 Ethical considerations versity was the most common (30.9%), as shown in
Table 4.
This study was conducted in a Hakka settlement in Hukeng
Town, Longyan Yongding District, with tourists as the target
population. Data were collected using a mixed research
method, combining the convenience sampling method 3.7 Analysis of attractiveness, satisfaction,
and the snowball sampling method for questionnaire dis- and travel intentions of cultural tourism
tribution and sampling. All respondents were participants
in tourism activities in the Hakka settlement of Hukeng 3.7.1 Analysis of tourism attractiveness
Town, Longyan Yongding District, or people who had prac-
tical experience and insight into Hakka cultural tourism. The dimensions of tourism attractiveness include envir-
Therefore, all respondents were recorded and data were onmental landscape, cultural characteristics, cultural and
collected after they were informed of the current develop- creative products, tourism facilities, space capacity, mar-
ment of the study, agreed and understood the purpose of keting and promotion, tourism information, and prices
the study, and agreed to cooperate in providing relevant [59,62–65] and can be explored in terms of scenery, cli-
data under the condition of anonymity and knowledge. mate, plant and animal resources, overall environment,
Therefore, the study design and data collection process history, museums, rural landscape, food, specialty pro-
were ethical [74,75]. ducts, festivals, accommodation, facilities, public toilets,598 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
Table 4: Sample background analysis 3.7.2 Tourist satisfaction analysis
Facet Issue % Tourist satisfaction includes dimensions, such as envir-
Gender Male 51.3 onmental landscape, cultural characteristics, cultural and
Female 48.7 creative products, tourism facilities, space capacity, mar-
Age Under 20 10.6 keting and promotion, tourism information, and prices
21–30 32.1 [16,22–28,66–68], and can be explored in terms of scenery,
31–40 15.9
climate, plant and animal resources, overall environment,
41–50 14.8
51–60 8.1
history, museums, rural landscape, food, specialty pro-
Over 61 10.6 ducts, festivals, accommodation, facilities, public toilets,
Education level Under junior high school 27.7 parking and open space, and media marketing. Statistical
Senior high school and vocational 25.9 analysis showed that scenery (3.63) was the highest and
school climate (3.55) was the lowest in the environmental land-
College or university 30.9
scape issues; heritage museums (3.6) were the highest and
Research institute 15.5
specialty food (3.56) was the lowest in the cultural charac-
teristics issues; specialty products (3.56) were the highest
parking, leisure space, media marketing, and other issues. and DIY experience (3.53) was the lowest in the cultural and
According to the statistical analysis, the highest score creative products issues; tourism information (3.66) was the
in the environmental landscape issues was for beautiful highest and lighting equipment (3.58) was the lowest in the
scenery (3.73) and the lowest score was for environmental tourism facilities issues; public transportation convenience
comfort (3.54); the highest score in the cultural character- (3.64) was the highest and parking lot capacity (3.58) was
istics issues was for traditional cuisine (3.62) and the lowest the lowest in the spatial capacity issue; mass media (3.59)
score was for rural scenery (3.55); the highest score in the was the highest and school resource combination (3.55) was
cultural and creative products issues was for DIY experi- the lowest in the marketing and promotion issue; signage and
ence activities (3.6) and the lowest score was for special interpretive facilities (3.64) were the highest and community
itineraries and activities (3.48); and the highest score in the association service center services (3.56) were the lowest in
tourism facilities issues was for lighting equipment (3.62) the tourism information issues; and scenic spot prices (3.6)
and the planning of public toilets (3.54) was the lowest; in were the highest and the number of attractions without tickets
the spatial capacity issues, the accessibility of nearby (3.55) is the lowest in the price issues, as shown in Table 6.
scenic spots (3.61) were the highest and the parking lot It can be seen that tourists felt good about the effec-
capacity (3.55) was the lowest; in the marketing and pro- tiveness of the current cultural tourism development
motion issues, Internet marketing (3.6) was the highest and planning in terms of scenery, heritage museums, special
the combination of school resources (3.5) was the lowest; in merchandise, tourism information, public transportation
the tourism information issues, the tourist service center convenience, mass media, signage, interpretation facil-
was the highest (3.59) and the emergency and medical ities, and scenic spot price management; however, they
equipment (3.55) was the lowest; in the price issues, the felt poorly about climate, specialty food, DIY experience,
price was the lowest; and in the price issues, the price lighting, parking lot capacity, school resource integration,
of renting transportation (3.56) was the highest and the community association service center services, and the
number of attractions without tickets (3.47) was the lowest, planning of no-ticket attractions. The results are inconsis-
as shown in Table 5. tent with Hypothesis 2.
It can be seen that tourists considered local cultural
tourism to be more attractive in terms of traditional spe-
cial cuisine, DIY experience activities, quality of lighting, 3.7.3 Analysis of revisit willingness
accessibility to nearby scenic spots, Internet marketing,
community associations and service center services, and Intention to travel is a possible decision that can predict
price of rented transportation; while environmental com- or plan whether to make a trip in the future [54,55], and the
fort, rural landscape, special itineraries and activities, willingness to revisit may depend on loyalty to the attrac-
public toilet planning, parking capacity, combination of tion or tourist activity [55], usually resulting in the idea of
school resources, emergency and medical equipment, revisiting, bringing a companion, or sharing information
and the planning of no-ticket attractions were less attrac- [56,57]. Statistical analysis showed that the willingness to
tive. The results are not consistent with Hypothesis 1. participate in tourism activities again (3.65) was the highestCultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 599
Table 5: Analysis of the perception of cultural tourism attractiveness
Secondary facets Issue Minimum value Maximum value M SD Rank
Natural environment landscape Environmental quality 1 5 3.73 0.799 1
Multi-climate 1 5 3.61 0.800 2
Diversified animal and plant resources 1 5 3.55 0.800 3
Comfortable environment 1 5 3.54 0.687 4
Traditional Humanities and Long historical relics 1 5 3.62 0.675 1
Industry Hakka Cultural Museum 1 5 3.62 0.706 2
Hakka rural landscape 1 5 3.61 0.732 3
Traditional specialties 1 5 3.55 0.693 4
Characteristic culture Characteristic cultural products 1 5 3.6 0.917 1
DIY experience activities 1 5 3.55 0.817 2
Featured itinerary planning and festival 1 5 3.48 0.805 3
activities
Tourist facilities Quality of food and accommodation 1 5 3.62 0.696 1
Convenience of travel information 1 5 3.6 0.742 2
Public places and artistic lighting facilities 1 5 3.6 0.658 3
Public toilets 1 5 3.54 0.861 4
Location and capacity Parking lot capacity 1 5 3.61 0.711 1
Convenience of public transportation 1 5 3.61 0.853 2
Accessibility to nearby attractions 1 5 3.58 0.843 3
Spacious space for activities and leisure 1 5 3.55 0.779 4
Media visibility Media promotion 1 5 3.6 0.871 1
Internet media marketing 1 5 3.54 0.800 2
Friend introduced 1 5 3.53 0.908 3
Integrate school resources 1 5 3.5 0.875 4
Travel information and Complete medical equipment 1 5 3.59 0.760 1
environmental safety Direction signs, interpretive planning 1 5 3.55 0.727 2
Service quality of community organizations 1 5 3.55 0.785 3
and tourist service centers
Tour price Attraction ticket price 1 5 3.56 0.861 1
Admission to consumption measures 1 5 3.55 1.038 2
Attractions without tickets 1 5 3.54 0.997 3
Transportation rental price 1 5 3.47 0.793 4
and the willingness to visit again (3.59) was the lowest, as the higher the generated attractiveness, the greater the
shown in Table 7. desire of tourists to revisit [59,62–65]. The PPMCC ana-
It can be seen that after actually experiencing the post- lysis showed that attractiveness had a significant effect
cultural tourism activities, the tourists thought that if cul- on the desire to revisit (p < 0.01), with the highest effect of
tural activities were held in the future, they would have a environmental landscape on revisiting (0.708), partici-
higher influence on their willingness to revisit, but if only a pating in activities (0.724), and sharing experiences
visit was arranged, their willingness to revisit was low. (0.655), as shown in Table 8. The results were consistent
with Hypothesis 4.
3.8 Correlation analysis of attractiveness, It shows that there is a correlation between tourism
attractiveness and willingness to revisit, and the envir-
satisfaction, and willingness to revisit
onmental landscape has the greatest impact. This indi-
for Hakka cultural tourism
cates that the higher the attractiveness of Hakka
cultural tourism, the stronger the willingness of tour-
3.8.1 Correlation analysis of tourism attractiveness and
ists to revisit and spend, especially the effectiveness
willingness to revisit
of environmental landscape planning. The results are
Tourism attractiveness can induce a motivation for tour- useful for rural areas to develop planning objectives for
ists to leave their place of residence and travel [60], and emerging rural industries.600 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
Table 6: Descriptive statistical analysis of satisfaction
Secondary facets Issue Minimum value Maximum value M Rank
Natural environment landscape Environmental quality 1 5 3.63 1
Multi-climate 1 5 3.6 2
Diversified animal and plant resources 1 5 3.57 3
Comfortable environment 1 5 3.55 4
Traditional Humanities and Long historical relics 1 5 3.6 1
Industry Hakka Cultural Museum 1 5 3.59 2
Hakka rural landscape 1 5 3.57 3
Traditional specialties 1 5 3.56 4
Characteristic culture Characteristic cultural products 1 5 3.56 1
DIY experience activities 1 5 3.54 2
Featured itinerary planning and festival activities 1 5 3.53 3
Tourist facilities Quality of food and accommodation 1 5 3.66 1
Convenience of travel information 1 5 3.63 2
Public places and artistic lighting facilities 1 5 3.59 3
Public toilets 1 5 3.58 4
Location and capacity Parking lot capacity 1 5 3.64 1
Convenience of public transportation 1 5 3.61 2
Accessibility to nearby attractions 1 5 3.59 3
Spacious space for activities and leisure 1 5 3.58 4
Media visibility Media promotion 1 5 3.59 1
Internet media marketing 1 5 3.58 2
Friend introduced 1 5 3.58 3
Integrate school resources 1 5 3.55 4
Travel information and Complete medical equipment 1 5 3.64 1
environmental safety Direction signs, interpretive planning 1 5 3.58 2
Service quality of community organizations and 1 5 3.56 3
tourist service centers
Tour price Attraction ticket price 1 5 3.6 1
Admission to consumption measures 1 5 3.6 2
Attractions without tickets 1 5 3.57 3
Transportation rental price 1 5 3.55 4
3.8.2 Correlation analysis of satisfaction and experiences (0.652), as shown in Table 9. The results are
willingness to revisit consistent with Hypothesis 5.
It can be seen that there is a correlation between tourist
Satisfaction is a consumer’s evaluation of the product satisfaction and willingness to revisit, and the influence of the
experience [66], and the higher the satisfaction level, the environmental landscape is the highest. This means that the
stronger the desire to revisit [16,22–28]. The PPMCC ana- higher the level of tourist satisfaction with the cultural tourism
lysis revealed that there was a significant effect between experience, the stronger the willingness of tourists to revisit and
satisfaction and willingness to revisit (p < 0.01), with the spend, especially if the environmental landscape planning is
highest effect of environmental landscape on revisiting effective. These results may contribute to the creation of con-
(0.695), participating in activities (0.675), and sharing ditions for sustainable economic development in rural areas.
Table 7: Descriptive statistical analysis of revisit willingness
Facets Issue Minimum value Maximum value M Rank
Willing to come again to participate in activities 1 5 3.65 1
Willing to share travel experience 1 5 3.6 2
Willing to revisit the place 1 5 3.59 3Table 8: Correlation analysis of attractiveness and the willingness to revisit
Natural Traditional Characteristic Tourist Location and Media Travel information and Tour price Total attractiveness
environment humanities and culture facilities capacity visibility environmental safety dimensions
landscape Industry
Willing to come 0.708** 0.675** 0.682** 0.705** 0.706** 0.688** 0.691** 0.676** 0.751**
again to participate
in activities
Willing to share 0.655** 0.625** 0.628** 0.628** 0.620** 0.661** 0.632** 0.612** 0.688**
travel experience
Willing to revisit the 0.724** 0.699** 0.640** 0.687** 0.682** 0.704** 0.654** 0.667** 0.744**
place
Total revisit 0.822** 0.788** 0.768** 0.796** 0.791** 0.809** 0.778** 0.770** 0.860**
willingness
dimensions
Note: **p < 0.01.
Table 9: Correlation analysis of satisfaction and the willingness to revisit
Natural Traditional Characteristic Tourist Location and Media Travel information and Tour price Total satisfaction
environment humanities and culture facilities capacity visibility environmental safety dimensions
landscape Industry
Willing to come again 0.675** 0.673** 0.654** 0.674** 0.679** 0.671** 0.648** 0.659** 0.732**
to participate in
activities
Willing to share travel 0.652** 0.657** 0.635** 0.638** 0.641** 0.595** 0.631** 0.655** 0.702**
experience
Willing to revisit the 0.695** 0.720** 0.679** 0.688** 0.689** 0.691** 0.634** 0.685** 0.753**
place
Total revisit 0.797** 0.808** 0.776** 0.788** 0.792** 0.785** 0.739** 0.788** 0.862**
willingness
dimensions
Cultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy
Note: ** p < 0.01.
601602 Hsiao Hsien Lin et al.
4 Discussion with the effectiveness of local Hakka cultural tourism
development was not equally perceived.
We believe that although the epidemic has had a
4.1 The attractiveness of cultural tourism
huge impact on tourism, rural areas are characterized
development in rural areas by a low level of development, a long history, and a
rich culture and tourism development is one of the major
Tourism attractiveness can motivate tourists to leave development industries in each country. To promote the
home and spend money outside [59,62–65], and under- effectiveness of tourism decisions, efforts have been made to
standing the attractiveness of scenic tourism features can improve transportation, use the media for marketing, estab-
reveal even more the main motivation that tends to make lish tourism visitor centers, strengthen tourism development
tourists go and spend money. However, our analysis research, establish tourism signs, improve safety, establish
found that tourists’ perceptions of the attractiveness of inspection agencies and regulations, control prices, and pro-
local Hakka cultural tourism features are different. tect consumer rights. Therefore, tourists think that the cur-
Travel is one of the ways to relax during the COVID-19 rent Hakka cultural tourism development plan is effective in
epidemic when people’s mobility is restricted, their mood is scenic spots, heritage museums, special commodities, tourist
depressed, and their quality of life and physical and mental information, public transportation convenience, mass media,
health deteriorate [17,20,22]. Culture is the exchange and signage, interpretation facilities, and scenic price planning.
consensus of people’s ideas and knowledge. Hakka culture Although rural areas are rich in nature, with a plea-
originates from a Han branch of China with traditional Han sant climate and vast land resources, the changeable
culture, rituals, and customs, as well as unique human weather has become a major obstacle to tourism activities.
history, food, art, and architecture. In addition, the slow In addition, the aging population and limited expertise
pace of rural life, fresh environment, spacious roads, low and skills in local settlements have affected the develop-
cost of living, and affable residents are good images that ment of cultural and creative products. The remote areas
tourists expect. Therefore, tourists find the local Hakka cul- are too extensive and the quality and quantity of lighting
tural tourism attractive in terms of the planning of special facilities are poor. In addition, the local economy needs
traditional cuisines, DIY experience activities, quality of to be upgraded and residents want a significant amount
lighting equipment, accessibility to nearby scenic spots, of income to improve their standard of living. This creates
online marketing, services of community associations and business opportunities and increases consumption chances
service centers, and prices of rented transportation. but also leads to an overabundance of commercial plat-
However, the general impression in rural areas is a low forms, making tourists feel more stressed and even uncom-
level of tourism facilities and public infrastructure, few local fortable when spending money on tourism. As a result,
medical institutions, and a low level of sophistication in visitors feel poorly about the local climate, specialty foods,
tourism decision-making. In addition, the urgent need for DIY experiences, lighting, parking capacity, integration of
rural residents to enrich their income to improve their eco- school resources, community association service center
nomic situation has resulted in criticism of the difference services, non-ticketed attractions, and other features and
in the quality and price of tourism activities compared development effectiveness.
to surrounding goods. As a result, the attractiveness of
the environment, rural landscape, special itineraries and
activities, public toilet planning, parking capacity, integra- 4.3 Visitors’ willingness to revisit for cultural
tion of school resources, emergency and medical facilities,
tourism development in rural areas
and non-ticketed attractions are low.
Revisit willingness is a prediction of consumers’ desire to
plan another trip to participate in potential consumption
4.2 Satisfaction of cultural tourism behaviors such as travel activities and spending after
development in rural areas the experience [54–56]. The stronger the desire to revisit,
the higher the chance of planning or engaging in future
Tourist satisfaction refers to the comparison and evalua- consumption behaviors [56,57]. However, our analysis
tion between the expected experience goals and the actual revealed that tourists’ perceptions of their willingness
experience of tourists when they travel to the village to revisit after participating in the Hakka cultural tourism
[16,22–28]. The analysis revealed that tourists’ satisfaction experience were not the same.Cultural tourism resources to revitalize the local economy 603
We believe that because the Hakka culture and his- may have established unique characteristics and images
tory, life style, cuisine, art, and architecture are still quite of human history, life and food, and art and architecture
different and attractive, tourists consider local cultural during long periods of migration, adaptation, and chan-
activities as an incentive to revisit after their cultural ging times, they become highlights that attract tourists to
tourism experience. participate and experience different cultural tourism activ-
However, due to the similarity between Hakka cul- ities. However, the large area to be developed in the coun-
ture and Han culture, the status and quality of rural land- tryside and the changeable climate can easily affect the
scape planning still needs to be improved. Therefore, smooth flow of tourist itineraries and the quality of planning
tourists will not be willing to come if the future planning for the construction of tourist indicators. In addition, the
is purely cultural tourism routes. rural population is seriously aging, with insufficient aware-
ness of industrial innovation and different price mechan-
isms and quality of the tourism market. Therefore, if the
planning of cultural tourism activities consists only of sight-
4.4 Cultural tourism attractiveness, tourist seeing, without special activities and comfortable experi-
satisfaction, and revisit willingness ences, it will not stimulate the desire of tourists to revisit.
Furthermore, the current state of development of the rural
The attractiveness of tourism provides tourists with moti- environment and landscape will be the main influencing
vation to visit [16,22–28,56–59,66–68]. On the other hand, factor, the higher the attractiveness, the higher the satisfac-
satisfaction enhances positive feelings after a trip [60–65]. tion, and the stronger the desire to revisit.
The higher the attractiveness of the trip, the stronger the 1. For the local government in this case
desire to revisit [59,62–65]. The higher the travel satisfac- First, local governments should dig deeper into
tion, the stronger the desire to revisit [16,22–28]. In our Hakka cultural resources and promote them through
analysis, we found that tourists’ perceptions of travel large-scale ethnic festivals or humanistic biographical
attractiveness, satisfaction, and desire to revisit were posi- performances. It is necessary to develop humanistic
tively correlated after planned and actual participation in entertainment programs and build or maintain char-
Hakka cultural tourism. acteristic buildings and landscapes to strengthen the
We conclude that although Hakka culture originated image of cultural tourism. To fill the talent gap for
from the Han Chinese, it has formed a unique Hakka lan- rural development, young people should be attracted
guage and cultural group under the influence of long-term or brought in from neighboring schools to work in
migration, adaptation, and changing times and has pro- related industries.
duced independent cultural characteristics, such as human 2. For enterprises
history, life and food, and art and architecture, which are Local enterprises should maintain the existing
highly valued by people. For people who are physically and natural ecology and rural environment, make good
mentally exhausted by the epidemic, exposure to different use of media marketing, and actively develop cultural
cultures, such as history, life and food, art, and architecture, peripheral products. In addition, humanistic experi-
is important to relax, increase knowledge, and broaden their ences should be used to develop short-term tourism
horizons. Therefore, the tourist attractiveness, satisfaction, experiences to strengthen tourists’ identification with
and willingness to re-tourist home cultural tourism activities and love for local culture.
show a correlation effect. Among them, the environmental 3. Follow-up research
landscape has the greatest influence, the higher the tourist It is recommended to first collect questionnaire
attractiveness, the higher the satisfaction after the actual information from residents to analyze differences in
experience, and the stronger the willingness to revisit. perceptions from the perspectives of different stake-
holders. Physical and mental health or other questions
could be used to enhance and track the impact of local
development effectiveness. Relevant issues can also be
5 Conclusion applied to other ethnic groups, countries, and other
regions to complete the research gap.
Culture is an indelible or irreplaceable tourism asset
because it characterizes communities and has the effect
of cultivating the art of living, nurturing the mind, and Author contributions: Conceptualization, HHL; metho-
relaxing the body and soul. As different ethnic groups dology, HHL and JCL; validation, HHL, JCL, and IYC;You can also read
