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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 4
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.104.14519.
Xiang, S., Li, Y., & Tian, R. G. (2023). The Coupling Coordination Degree between Tourism and Urbanization in Rural Revitalization:
A Case Study of the Wuling Mountain Area. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(4). 288-296.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The Coupling Coordination Degree between Tourism and
Urbanization in Rural Revitalization: A Case Study of the Wuling
Mountain Area
Shilei Xiang
Business School, Huaihua University
Yangkuo Li
Business School, Huaihua University
Robert Guang Tian
Business School, Huaihua University
Corresponding author: rgtian@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Regional coordinated development should be promoted for high-quality economic
development. An effective way for regional economic development is to enhance the
coupling coordination degree development of tourism and urbanization. This paper
reviews the literature on the coupling coordination degree between tourism and
urbanization. Moreover, it collates and analyzes the literature on tourism
development and urbanization in the Wuling Mountain Area. It explores the
evaluation index system and development mechanism of the coupling coordination
degree of tourism and urbanization in the area. It proposes countermeasures for
improving the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urbanization. Thus,
China's regional economy and society can develop faster and more harmoniously.
Keywords: Regional coordination, Tourism, Urbanization, The Wuling Mountain Area,
Coupling degree.
The Wuling Mountain Area is a contiguous poor area with old revolutionary base areas, ethnic
minority areas and poverty-stricken areas. It spans Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou,
featuring concentrations of ethnic minorities, a wide distribution of impoverished populations,
and severe poverty. Moreover, it is one of the most important cross-regional economic
collaboration areas (Gao, 2015), featuring regional characteristics and abundant tourism
resources. In 2009, the State Council instructed to build the Wuling Mountain Area as a national
demonstration zone for poverty alleviation and cross-provincial innovation collaboration
(Long, Du, & Zhou, 2015). In 2011, the State Council promulgated the Outline of Development- driven Poverty Alleviation in Rural Areas (2011-2020), which prioritized enhancing the self- development capacity of targets for poverty alleviation. The Wuling Mountain Area was
identified as one of the 14 contiguous poor areas (Li, 2017). In the same year, the Plan for
Regional Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Wuling Mountain Area (2011-2020) ("the
Plan") proposed combining poverty alleviation in contiguous poor areas and cross-provincial
cooperation and synergistic development. The Plan indicates the path for poverty alleviation in
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Xiang, S., Li, Y., & Tian, R. G. (2023). The Coupling Coordination Degree between Tourism and Urbanization in Rural Revitalization: A Case Study of
the Wuling Mountain Area. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(4). 288-296.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.104.14519
the Area. In 2013, Xi made his inspection tour to Shibadong Village, Huayuan County, Hunan
Province. Xi proposed giving differentiated guidance for targeted poverty alleviation in line
with local conditions for the first time. It led the way for the Wuling Mountain Area to fight
against poverty (Li, 2017) and allowed the counties in the Area to develop differently. In the
report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017, General
Secretary Xi Jinping proposed implementing the rural revitalization strategy. Xi also advocated
opening up a new urban-rural integration and modernization situation by revitalizing the
countryside (Xi, 2019). In September 2021, the committees of CPPCC of Hunan, Hubei,
Chongqing and Guizhou reached the Enshi Consensus. It specifies that they should jointly press
to create the National Pilot Area for Rural Revitalization in the Wuling Mountain Area.
Moreover, the relevant national ministries and commissions must jointly promote the
preparation of the Plan for Building the National Pilot Area for Rural Revitalization in the
Wuling Mountain Area (2021-2035). Also, governments must revitalize rural areas (Chen,
2021). Specifically, businesses should flourish, and the environment should be eco-friendly
with social etiquette and civility. Also, effective governance should guarantee the rural
population a well-off life (Xi, 2019).
With the all-area tourism-based development and poverty alleviation model, we should
vigorously develop the tourism economy. Thus, we can resolve the contradiction between
people's desire for a better life and unbalanced and insufficient development in poor areas
(Tang et al., 2021). Based on the beautiful natural landscape and resources, tourism has
gradually become the pillar industry of the Wuling Mountain Area to escape from poverty,
eliminate poverty stickiness and break the cycle of poverty (Gan & Wang, 2021). However,
tourism in the Area started from a low base and grew slowly due to its unique geographical
location and political and historical reasons. Urbanization is a profound change in industrial
structure due to urban advantages and productivity development (Xin, 1985). The tourism
system and the urbanization system of a region are two relatively independent entities.
However, tourism development is inextricably linked with the progress of urbanization.
Therefore, examining the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urbanization in the
Wuling Mountain Area is vital to accelerate rural revitalization and help poverty alleviation. On
the new journey of building a modern socialist country in all aspects, China should construct a
sound indicator system for the coupling coordination degree of tourism and urbanization.
According to statistics, by 2020, 70 of the 71 counties in the Area had been lifted out of poverty.
Also, regional poverty has been largely resolved (http://www.mzb.com.cn/, 2020). The Wuling
Mountain Area is the largest inter-provincial multi-ethnic area in China. During the "12th Five- Year Plan" period, with the strong support of the government, the minority communities in the
area have been developed into distinctive villages of tourism and culture. With the integration
of culture and tourism, tourism has been flourishing. The ethnic groups in the Area have united
to turn their rich ethnic and folk resources into strengths for development (China Ethnic News,
2016).
The Wuling Mountain Area is located at the intersection of the two major western development
strategies and central China's rise. Hence, it can link the east with the west and the north with
the south. From the spatial structure of the six centers, tourism has become a strategic pillar
industry of the Wuling Mountain Area. The Area features diverse and abundant resources,
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 4, April-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
unique natural geographic landscapes and inimitable ethnic backgrounds. In 2021, the Alliance
for Cultural Tourism Development of the Wuling Mountain proposed to make sustained efforts
in joint top-level design and joint construction of major projects. Also, the regions will share
development resources, jointly promote cultural tourism brands, attract investments, and
establish a favorable environment for development. In this way, it can promote the
complementary advantages of the region beyond the administrative barriers, accelerate the
integration of culture and tourism, and establish the Wuling Mountain Area as a new highland
for green and innovative development (CNR News, 2021).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous studies have shown that more research has been done in developed regions with
mature tourism industries but less research on the relationship between tourism and
urbanization in less economically developed regions. The research has focused more on the
contribution of tourism to the economy and less on other perspectives. More studies have been
conducted on how to improve the quality of urbanization. However, few studies address the
factors influencing urbanization, especially in tourism. The scale of research on tourism and
urbanization is becoming more and more refined. However, scholars mostly study developed
areas or urban clusters and seldom study poverty-stricken areas due to various constraints.
Covering a vast area, the Wuling Mountains Area is inhabited by multiple ethnic groups with a
huge gap between regions. Also, the Area's industries are underdeveloped and uncoordinated.
Therefore, it is not easy to collect and refine the relevant data of the Wuling Mountain Area.
Coupling is a common perspective in the extant research on the interaction between tourism
and urbanization. Feng (2012) suggested that tourism industrialization and urbanization can
be better if governments support local tourism development. Urbanization depends on the
economic linkage effect of tourism. Over the past ten years, the Wuling Mountain Area has been
fully lifted from poverty. Many scholars in China have been following and researching the Area's
development, mainly focusing on the tourism industry and the effectiveness of poverty
alleviation.
Tourism Development of The Wuling Mountain Area
The Plan for Regional Development and Poverty Alleviation in the Wuling Mountain Area
specifies that the Wuling Mountain Area should deeply explore tourism resources, improve
infrastructure, promote tourism cooperation, and accelerate the establishment of an eco- cultural tourist area. Regarding tourism development, Chinese scholars mostly examine the
differences in tourism economic development across time and space in the region based on the
theory of regional economic development differences (Tang et al., 2021). Gao (2015) argued
that the Wuling Mountain Area enjoys comparative advantages in developing cultural tourism
due to its profound ethnic, revolutionary and regional cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the
industries in the Area are poorly developed synergistically. Therefore, he concluded that
cultural tourism should be considered a pioneer industry to promote the Area's socio-economic
development. Liu & Wang (2021) investigated the potential of the Wuling Mountain Area for
tourism in terms of the socio-economic environment, tourism development environment, and
natural ecological environment. They found that the Wuling Mountain Area had high potential
but showed significant spatial heterogeneity, with large differences between cities and
prefectures in the same province. Based on this conclusion, we summarize the current tourism
situation in the Wuling Mountain Area from three influencing factors.