Title: Local residents' perception of the impacts of mountain adventure tourism: the case of Siguniang mountain range, Tibet

Authors: Pu Pian; Ling XiaoPan; Liu Yong

Addresses: Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University Huanghe Middle Road, Chengdu, 610064, China ' Faculty of Sports and Leisure, Sichuan Tourism University, Hongling Road, Chengdu, 610100, China ' Faculty of Sports and Leisure, Sichuan Tourism University, Hongling Road, Chengdu, 610100, China

Abstract: The development of mountain adventure tourism had multiple impacts on the communities' social culture, but related studies are rare. Mount Siguniang, located in Heng Duan mountain area of China, has becoming an important destination for mountain adventures in the past 40 years. Based on the interview and author's 30 years of observational experience, this paper shows that the mountain adventure tourism has complicated impacts on the local society and culture, those are the residents' next generation receives a better education and some traditional revitalisation. And also the social climate becomes better, individual has better change. Still, the language and some traditional dance are losing more quickly. The biggest finding is that many social problems did not happen because the traditional religion and norm still remains. Residents practice their traditional religion in the mountain adventure tourism service. In a comparison with the regular tourism, mountain adventure tourism brings more benefit to local residents since the main jobs are taken by local people.

Keywords: mountain adventure tourism; Siguniang; Tibetan town; residents' perception; social culture; religion; mountain guide; cultural revitalisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2021.122351

International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 2021 Vol.8 No.3, pp.193 - 212

Received: 03 Apr 2021
Accepted: 16 May 2021
Published online: 21 Apr 2022 *

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