Paths and Constraints of Rural Cultural Tourism E-Commerce: A Case Study of Homestay Industry in Langya Town, Qingdao, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jbm.202609301

Author(s)

Lan Yao*, Ruining Liu

Affiliation(s)

Department of Digital Business, Qingdao Huanghai University, Qingdao, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

Against the backdrop of China’s rural revitalization, cultural-tourism integration, and digital rural development policies, the e-commerce transformation of homestays has become a vital approach to rural industrial upgrading and resource revitalization. Using Langya Town in Qingdao as a case study, this paper examines its policy and regulatory system and the current state of homestay e-commerce development, and analyzes the practical difficulties and underlying constraints in its development. The findings indicate that Langya Town has established a homestay policy framework that integrates organizational structure, industrial standards, and incentive mechanisms, thereby achieving large-scale homestay clustering and omnichannel online settlement. Nevertheless, its development is characterized by widespread channel adoption yet superficial online operations. Prominent challenges include insufficient digital literacy among operators, semi-digitalized operation and management, homogenized cultural tourism products, and the sluggish transformation of intangible cultural heritage resources. This development is constrained by operator competencies, the local industrial foundation, and inadequate policy-market coordination. Based on local realities, this paper proposes optimized pathways for the in-depth development of homestay e-commerce from three perspectives: cultivating operators through tiered empowerment, innovating product forms via cultural-tourism integration, and improving mechanisms to break down barriers between policies and markets. It aims to provide references for the digital transformation of homestay businesses in coastal towns, the value conversion of cultural tourism resources, and rural industrial revitalization.

Keywords

Rural Cultural Tourism E-Commerce; Homestay Industry; Rural Revitalization

References

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