Historical and cultural heritage of rural areas as a basis for sustainable development of local governance: China’s evidence

The primary objective of this research is to investigate and assess the feasibility and prospects of utilising agritourism within the historical heritage of local rural areas in the framework of sustainable development criteria. The research methodology encompasses a comparative analysis of internal rural tourism development trends and a spatial analysis (geographical) approach to examining historical and cultural heritage. The study examines the example of China, where domestic rural tourism has been actively developing in recent years, using its own unique model that differs from other countries. The data obtained during the research indicated a trend of growth in the share of rural tourism from 2000 to 2007. This indicator increased from 55.8% in 2000 to 62.8% in 2007. However, in subsequent years, this proportion began to decline, reaching 23.1% in 2023. Until 2011, expenditures on rural and urban tourism did not significantly differ and grew slowly. In 2011, a significant gap emerged between them. Only the viral epidemic pandemic noticeably affected its decline, which was overcome only in 2023, and its level has now slightly approached pre-pandemic levels. Over the past decade, rural tourism has fallen behind urban tourism in terms of expenditure levels. The reasons for this phenomenon are associated with insufficient infrastructure development and low investment attractiveness. The integration of efforts by all stakeholders, local authorities, and rural communities can contribute to improving sustainable economic development, social interaction efficiency, and joint management. A model of effective collaboration between local authorities and rural communities in creating a sustainable environment for the revival of rural areas has been proposed. The practical significance of the results of this research enables contributions to improving the current strategy of rural area revival and proposing new recommendations for the development of the tourism industry.