Administrative arrangements and displacement compensation in top-down tourism planning—A case from Hainan Province, China

Forced population displacement is a process that often accompanies contemporary tourism development. When widespread economic benefits are expected, relocation of existing communities may occur in the expected interests of the majority. This paper assesses the social impacts of a tourism-caused displacement case at a destination where tourism is being promoted as a regional development strategy and planned in a top-down fashion. Deficiencies in implementation and compensation resulting from the administrative arrangements are pointed out and planning-oriented recommendations are offered to help to mitigate the pain of indigenous populations in future tourism development and related dislocation projects.