Abstract
This study investigates why tourism village development models often fail to replicate success despite cultural and geographic similarities. Using activity theory and knowledge management concepts, we analyze two adjacent Chinese villages to trace explicit knowledge flow and examine disrupted tacit and indigenous knowledge practices. Findings show that while surface-level knowledge transfer occurs, contradictions within activity system elements, especially the marginalization of indigenous knowledge and community capacity, hinder effective knowledge application. Knowledge flow is inherently nonlinear and deeply context-dependent. We develop a comparative activity system model that highlights how success hinges less on knowledge transfer and more on the integration of indigenous knowledge into local tourism development. This model underscores the importance of stable, embedded knowledge structures for sustainable outcomes. The study challenges oversimplified assumptions about replicability in tourism development and offers insights for culturally sensitive, context-specific strategies in knowledge practices in tourism development.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
4-1-2026
Volume
113
Publication Title
Tourism Management
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
84244
Funders
Social Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province (2022F013) / National Natural Science Foundation of China (42271232, 42501319)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Hu, X., Chen, J., & Huang, S. (2025). Dynamic knowledge practices in tourism village development: An activity theory perspective. Tourism Management, 113, 105316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105316