This study aims to select a strategy for integrated rural tourism (IRT) by establishing a framework constructed through landscape development, community acceptance, tourism activity, and visitor satisfaction (LCTV) at the rural scale. Combined with the analytic network process (ANP), the LCTV framework was applied in the case of the Dalishu village, the Liaoning province in China. The strategy in which landscape development is combined with tourism activity is a preferred alternative for IRT in the Dalishu village. The results of this study will allow practitioners to appreciate the role of the combined LCTV framework and ANP in strategic decision-making, thus improving the quality of landscape planning, tourism development, and environmental management in rural areas. A new approach to integrated rural tourism (IRT) priority strategies at the rural scale is presented. This study also reveals the successful implementation of relationships among factors within the decision-making process despite the complexity of the IRT network.

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*
For correspondence.
Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology 14, No 3, 1089–1096 (2013)
Environmental management
Integrated Rural Tourism Strategic Selection.
A Case in China
Liaoji Zhenga,b
, HuiqingLiua
*
a
College of Urban and Environmental Science, Northeast Normal University,
10 024 Changchun, Jilin Province, China
E-mail: liuhq595@nenu.edu.cn; zhengliaoji@vip.sina.com
b
School of Tourism and Management, Eastern Liaoning University,
118 001 Dandong, Liaoning Province, China
Abstract. This study aims to select a strategy for integrated rural tourism (IRT) by establishing a
framework constructed through landscape development, community acceptance, tourism activity,
and visitor satisfaction (LCTV) at the rural scale. Combined with the analytic network process
(ANP), the LCTV framework was applied in the case of the Dalishu village, the Liaoning province
in China. The strategy in which landscape development is combined with tourism activity is a pre-
ferred alternative for IRT in the Dalishu village. The results of this study will allow practitioners to
appreciate the role of the combined LCTV framework and ANP in strategic decision-making, thus
improving the quality of landscape planning, tourism development, and environmental management
in rural areas. A new approach to integrated rural tourism (IRT) priority strategies at the rural scale
is presented. This study also reveals the successful implementation of relationships among factors
within the decision-making process despite the complexity of the IRT network.
Keywords: integrated rural tourism, strategic selection, LCTA framework, analytic network proc-
ess, China.
AIMS AND BACKGROUND
Integrated rural tourism (IRT) integrates environmental concerns into the ecologi-
cal industry, which is mainly sustained by social networks that allow the joint
development of various resources such as local traditions, art forms, celebrations,
experiences, entrepreneurship, and knowledge1
. As a multi-sectoral activity, IRT
includes participation in agricultural production, visits to landscapes and natural
environments, regional gastronomy, and overnight stay in rural spaces. IRT is a
green economy dependent on the quality of rural capital, which suggests that eco-
nomic activity generates multiple outputs and thus, directly contributes to several
societal objectives2,3
. These rural capitals provide a more holistic and integrated
understanding of rural tourism production system and reducing regional inequali-
ties4
.Thus, rural spaces are no longer associated with purely agricultural commodity

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production but are viewed as locations for the stimulation of a new socioeconomic
activity, which often incorporates tourism, leisure, native food production and
consumption, and e-commerce5,6
. IRT has been considered a potential means for
multifunctional agriculture (MFA) and regeneration in rural areas, particularly in
those affected by the decline in traditional agrarian activities7,8
.
Supplementing income in rural areas, IRT represents the promotion of the
multifunctional development of the rural landscape9
. As an ecological embedded
network, the IRT network embeds economic action within local social and political
practices and simultaneously offers local products and services to tourists, reflecting
a change in the relationship between the economic actors and the natural environ-
ment that benefit both10
. In this IRT network, the people, organisations, objects,
technologies, and spaces are concurrently brought together in the performance of
tourismscapes11
. As a new kind of geographical space, tourismscape refers to the
potential of tourism activity to perform other roles beyond increasing employment;
these roles may be in the areas of renewable natural resources management, land-
scape and biodiversity conservation and contribution to socioeconomic viability,
and environmental investment in rural areas12–14
. However, the combination of
these factors in selecting a strategy in the IRT network has not received sufficient
attention. In this study, we present a framework created from landscape manage-
ment, community acceptance, tourism activity, and visitors satisfaction (LCTV)
to select an IRT strategy (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1. LCTV framework of rural integrated tourism (by Liaoji Zheng)
This study combines the LCTV framework and the analytic network process
(ANP) to identify a strategy for IRT in the Dalishu village, the Liaoning province
in China. Hybrid multiple criteria decision-making was used to examine the de-
pendent relationships among various dimensions and criteria of the IRT network,
which also contribute to IRT planning and MFA transitions15,16
.

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In the LCTV framework, landscape management and community acceptance
are identified by internal environment appraisal, and tourism activity and visi-
tor satisfaction are identified by external environmental appraisal. The internal
and external factors are known as strategic factors and are categorised by LCTV
analysis. On the basis of LCTV analysis, strategies are developed, which may
build on landscape management, community acceptance, tourism activity, and
visitor satisfaction.
The analytical network process (ANP) has recently gained interest as a
multi-criteria decision support tool17–19
. The ANP was developed by Saaty as a
generalisation of the dependences of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which
aids managers in selecting new product ideas to pursue. ANP is a theory of rela-
tive measurement on absolute scales both of tangible and intangible criteria based
both on expert judgment as well as existing measurements and statistics needed
to make a decision20,21
.
EXPERIMENTAL
Study area. The Dalishu village is located in the mountainous regions of eastern
Liaoning province in China. Environmental conditions such as abundant precipita-
tion, dense vegetation, and rich water resources contribute to agricultural develop-
ment. The forests in the Dalishu village are important to rural communities for
livelihood and as natural resources for agricultural production and rural tourism,
among others. These natural capitals serve as the foundation for rural development
and are often at risk because people are marginalised from governance. More than
30 years ago, deforestation often resulted in soil quality loss and plantation crops
that supplied neither local food nor stable income because of high risks of disease
outbreaks. With the establishment of the household contract system, rural landscape
planning and design as well as communities have undergone tremendous changes
in recent decades, thus increasing the multifunctionality of the rural landscape.
During the Returning Land for Farming to Forestry project, a total of 2200 ha and
16 species of ornamental plants were afforested from 1980 to 2010. The diversi-
fied landscape increased the opportunity for ecotourism combined with landscape
programming creativity.
The total area of the village is approximately 4800 ha, 45% of which are used
for rural tourism. Rural tourism became an efficient channel for catalysing invest-
ments in rural innovative development, which increased income from RMB¥ (US$
to RMB¥: 1–6.3) 10 million yuan to 150 million RMB¥ (in 2010). The per capita
average net income of the village reached 10 thousand RMB¥ in 2009, 50% of
which came from planting and the remaining 50% from other land use projects.
The Dalishu village became a demonstration zone of the new countryside
construction in the Liaoning province. The Dalishu village is a microcosm and a

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representative rural area in China. The development of rural tourism in the Dalishu
village earned recognition as ‘ChinaAgricultural Park’in 2010, which marked the
transition in rural tourism toward a new stage in rural development. Thus, tourism
activity in this agricultural park enhanced not only the foundation of integrated
tourism but also became the inevitable choice for sustainable development.
Data. Data for this study were collected in two stages. The first stage covered the
period from May 2011 to June 2011. We sought secondary literature on the state
of rural tourism in the Dalishu village by analysis of statistical information and ad
hoc previous studies. The reliability of these sources was verified to prevent any
possible alteration and to determine objectively our best choice.
The second stage covered the period from July 2011 to October 2011. The
ideological exchanges among experts, tourists, and community residents focused
on the rural environment, social status, cultural heritage, and folklore of the Dalishu
village. The investigation was performed using pairwise comparisons by asking
the question ‘How important is a criterion compared with another criterion with
respect to the rural tourism?’The relative importance was rated using a scale from
1 to 9 (from equal importance to extreme importance).
Model. The LCTV framework involves systematic thinking and comprehensive
diagnoses of factors related to rural landscape, tourism activity, environmental
management, and agricultural development. In the LCTV framework, landscape
management and community acceptance are identified by internal environment
appraisal, whereas tourism activity and visitor satisfaction are identified by external
environment appraisal. However, the effect of each factor on the proposed plan or
strategy is not quantified.
In the following case study, we used the combination of the LCTV framework
and ANP for the strategic selection of rural tourism strategy. The LCTV–ANP
model consists of control hierarchies, clusters and elements, as well as interrela-
tions among elements (Fig. 2). The LCTV–ANP model is a complex network that
consists of 1 goal, 4 clusters, 16 factors, and a number of loops. The goal is to
maintain a rural tourism network and to allow economic growth with considera-
tion of the future needs of the society and the environment in general. The weights
of the factors that will be used to evaluate the landscape and the suitable tourism
pattern for rural development are determined simultaneously.
In the LCTV framework, a strategic matrix was constructed from landscape
management, community acceptance, tourism activity, and visitor satisfaction. We
divided all alternative strategies into 4 types: LT, CT, LV, and CV. The LT strategy
involves tourism activity using the existing landscape in the rural area. The CT
strategy seeks to benefit from tourism activity presented by external environmental
factors by considering community acceptance. The LV strategy is associated with
using landscape management to remove or reduce the effect of visitor satisfaction.

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The CV strategy considers community acceptance, thereby allowing rural tourism
to reduce the effect of visitor satisfaction (Table 1).
Fig. 2. LCTV of IRT model in rural area (by Liaoji Zheng)
Table 1. Strategic matrix of the LCTV framework
External factors Internal factors
landscape development (L) community acceptance (C)
biodiversity (L1) community participation
(C1)
naturalness (L2) coordination (C2)
rural scenery (L3) folk custom (C3)
rurality (L4) hospitality (C4)
Tourism
activity
leisure (T1) LT strategy
landscape construction
CT strategy
community participation
picking (T2)
shopping (T3)
sightseeing (T4)
Visitor
satisfac-
tion
accessibility (V1) LV strategy
tourismscape management
CV strategy
hospital management
cuisine (V2)
service quality (V3)
tourism payout (V4)
The LCTV–ANP model was developed using the Super Decisions software
(version 2.0.8), which is applicable for decisions with dependence and feedback22
.
All clusters and node comparisons were completed using questionnaires. During
modelling, we ensured that inconsistencies were not larger than 10%.Asanity test
was performed thereafter to verify the completeness of the model.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Evaluation of factors in LCTV. The results show that by limiting the cluster
within the LCTV framework, the strongest factor was naturalness, followed by
service quality, accessibility, and sightseeing. The weakest factor was folk custom
(Fig. 3).
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
community participative
coordination
folk custom
hospitality
biodiversity
naturalness
rural scenery
rurality
leisure
picking
shopping
sightseeing
accessibility
cuisine
service quality
tourism payout
Fig. 3. Evaluation of the LCTV framework (by Liaoji Zheng)
Landscape development was identified as the strongest factor in the LCTV
framework in the Dalishu village, whereas visitor satisfaction was the weakest
factor. Strong landscape development also tends to support rural community
development and rural tourism, which are based on diverse, pleasing landscapes
with forest, cultural heritage, and other amenities. Strong visitor satisfaction at
a rural community level can be achieved by providing more tourism activities to
improve the ambience of the place to attract more tourists. The strong demand for
a tourist market creates opportunities for rural tourism development in the Dalishu
village (Table 2).
Table 2. Evaluation of rural LCTV in the Dandong area
Name Normalised by cluster Limiting
Community acceptance (C) 0.22446 0.022521
Landscape development (L) 0.55677 0.055864
Tourism activity (T) 0.16784 0.016840
Visitor satisfaction (V) 0.05093 0.005110
Note: CR < 0.1 indicates that the value of the CR calculated using ANP must be less than 0.10; the
consistency ratio in the pairwise comparison matrices is calculated using the consistency index and
the random index.
Prioritise strategies. Used with the LCTV strategic matrix, the identification of
a strategy constructed by landscape development and upcoming tourism activity
(LT) may provide a higher chance for competitive advantage. The LT strategy is
determined as the best alternative, with an overall priority value of 0.725. There-

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fore, the LT strategy is suitable for IRT and further MFA development (Table 2).
In this LT strategy, a variety of tourism policies must be implemented with the aim
of achieving an optimum level of rural tourism products from the LCTV network.
The strategy contributes to IRT network transformation, which improved the LCTV
network from elementary to advanced status.
As an important decision-making support tool, the construction of the
LCTV framework contributes to the practice of communities in the rural area.
Stakeholders and public sector planners must consider multiple factors in IRT
development. To conserve the natural and cultural heritage, the prioritisation of
the LCTV framework would directly contribute to the social ecological design of
the rural landscape. Among the 4 strategies, the LT strategy can establish linkages
between the agricultural landscape and the tourism industry, which is critical for
rural tourism optimisation.
The LCTV framework aims to minimise negative social ecological impacts
through adequate landscape configuration and tourism development such as reduc-
tion in resource consumption, efficient use, and rural landscape recovery. However,
the LCTV framework is incapable of quantifying the weights and effects of the
strategic factors on the alternatives. Policy-makers adopting the proposed approach
(LCTV–ANP) are expected to acquire a more comprehensive decision-making
tool for executing strategic choices.
CONCLUSIONS
The integrated LCTV–ANPapproach is a preferred strategy because it quantifies the
intensities of the factors in the LCTVframework, thus providing a more realistic and
effective evaluation than the stand-alone LCTV orANP. The LCTV–ANPstrategy
helps exhaust the potential of IRT and contributes to rural MFA. Decision-makers
must recognise the importance of all factors involved in the LCTV network, and
focus must be directed to the multifunctionality of the rural landscape.
The IRT network includes multiple nodes connected to the ecological industry
chain that interacts with pre-existing MFAstructures. Local productive capabilities
must be strengthened for the LCTV network to benefit the entire rural ecological
economy and thus contribute to the creation of a destination brand image for IRT
marketing.
Acknowledgement. This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
(NSFC 40871005; 40871062), Educational Commission of the Liaoning Province (No W2010158),
and the Liaoning Social Science Fund (L11BJL024).

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Received 11 March 2013
Revised 10 May 2013