Development Drivers of Rural Summer Health Tourism for the Urban Elderly: A Demand- and Supply-Based Framework

Abstract

In China, rural summer health tourism for the urban elderly (RSHTUE) is growing rapidly, but the drivers of RSHTUE development have not been systematically explored. First, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with operators, village leaders, local government staff, and elderly tourists in Zhongyuan Township, Jiangxi Province, China: a typical township for developing RSHTUE. Second, interview data were thematically coded to extract the preliminary drivers. Third, the preliminary drivers supported by the literature or original interview quotes were considered the final drivers. Lastly, subcategories and categories were extracted from the final drivers by thematic coding to form a framework of drivers for RSHTUE development. The results show that the framework driving RSHTUE development includes two categories: demand and supply. Nine demand drivers were clustered into four subcategories: economic, social, cultural, and natural. A total of 21 supply drivers were clustered into five subcategories: economic, social, political, cultural, and natural. This study enriches the knowledge of RSHTUE development drivers. The literature supporting each driver was systematically reviewed. RSHTUE-relevant participants can use these drivers to identify villages’ suitability for developing RSHTUE and to explore countermeasures for the sustainable development of RSHTUE. The literature on each driver can provide support for subsequent studies.