Community-based Tourism Stakeholder Conflicts and the Co-creation Approach: A Case Study of Longji Terrace Fields, PRC

Abstract

The conflicts and power relations between tourism stakeholders have recently attracted the interest of scholars studying community-based tourism. This article examines stakeholders’ interests, conflicts, and conflict solving through the co-creation approach in the context of tourism development in the Longji Terrace Fields in Guilin, China. Based on qualitative research using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the article examines the existing tensions among different stakeholders as well as conflict-solving solutions. The article illustrates how stakeholders’ interactions could be based on common interests and mutual benefits through a co-creation approach rather than through economic competition. Balancing the benefits of the diverse tourism stakeholders is necessary to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable tourism development in the long run. The article suggests that solving conflicts among tourism stakeholders and the co-creation of relationships in contemporary tourism projects and development can be of great importance in improving our understanding of stakeholder power relations and empowerment for common goals.