Minority community participation in tourism: A case of Kanas Tuva villages in Xinjiang, China

Generally western scholars argue that local tourism participation is a precondition for benefits reaching communities. However, in China, particularly in some ethnic minority areas, this paradigm is not easily put into practice. Based on a study in the Kanas Nature Reserve of Xinjiang combining the use of a questionnaire and in-depth interviews, the means by which Tuva residents participated in, and derived benefits from tourism was investigated, and local stakeholders' attitude about community participation ascertained. The results indicate a low level of community participation and the implications of this for future tourism development are discussed with reference to the future development of tourism in the Kanas Reserve.