Local-Migrant Interaction in Everyday Life in an Ancient Tourism Town

Daily interaction is a primary means of understanding social change which is of vital importance for community well-being. In tourism host communities, daily interactions among different resident groups reflect tourism's effects which are directly related to tourists' experiences and commu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-12, Vol.17 (1), p.266
Main Authors: Zhang, Hongxia, Su, Qin, Qiao, Guiqiang, Yin, Yingmei, Wu, Xiaoxiao, Xie, Wujie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
China
Cities
Communication
Community
Cultural groups
Culture
Everyday life
Female
Handicrafts
Historic sites
Humans
Intention
Interpersonal communication
Lifestyles
Migrants
Migration
Social change
Social exclusion
Social interactions
Social networks
Social organization
Society
Sustainable development
Tourism
Travel
Well being
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Summary:Daily interaction is a primary means of understanding social change which is of vital importance for community well-being. In tourism host communities, daily interactions among different resident groups reflect tourism's effects which are directly related to tourists' experiences and community harmony. In this exploratory article, grounded theory was applied to analyze daily interactions between locals and migrants in Zhouzhuang, the first ancient tourism town in China, based on in-depth interviews. A model framework was also constructed. The results pinpoint subjective interaction intention and objective interaction opportunities as two influencing factors which operate reciprocally and directly influence locals' and migrants' daily interactions. The findings suggest that many locals and migrants experience clear communication boundaries in daily interactions. Both groups' subjective interaction intentions were influenced by their cultural backgrounds, group perceptions, and original social networks, all of which are difficult to modify within a short time. Therefore, increasing objective communication opportunities is a key way to promote intergroup interaction and integration. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications for tourism host communities' well-being and sustainable development.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph17010266