The Research On Classification System And Develoment-Management Evaluation Systems Of Agricultural Eco-tourism Resources

Agricultural eco-tourism combines agriculture and tourism as well as ecological enjoyment and ecological protection. It has developed rapidly in recent years, and received extensive attention from experts and scholars. However, as a new tourism mode of which people so far have not got to a common view in theory, agricultural eco-tourism suffers from damages along with its development, and exclusive profit-push is not an unusual occurrence in the course of developing. Therefore, it is of vital importance both in theory and in practice to give standardized definitions of relavant concepts of agricultural eco-tourism, to make systematic classifications, to design evaluation methods and index system of agricultural eco-tourism resources as well as to explore the quality standard of agricultural eco-tourism.The theories applied in this paper involve the latest theoretical developments in the study of symbiosis, agricultural tourism resources, eco-tourism resource development and tourism economics. Relevant data and questionnaire answers are acquired by Delphi questionnaire survey. Based on the collected data, classification and evaluation index systems are drawn up. The percentage of each index occupied in these systems is specified by means of statistic analysis, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy mathematical evaluation. And finally an empirical study is made of two typical agricultural eco-tourist areas in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which proves the above two systems feasible and reliable. The main contents are as follows:(1) The thesis summarizes and develops the concepts of agricultural eco-tourism. It is held that agricultural eco-tourism resources combine agricultural tourism resources with eco-tourism resources to play a part as eco-tourism resources in the agricultural production system and a part with agricultural characteristics in eco-tourism resources. (2) Based on plenty of investigations, the thesis proposes the classification system of agricultural eco-tourism resources, which consists of the main classification system and the auxiliary classification system. The essential role of the main classification system is to provide the basis for micro-management, composing of classifications at three levels—the first level (by major classes) classified on the criterion of functions; the second level (by subclasses) on the attributes; the third level (by basic types and factors) on the main factors that influence the agricultural tourism benefits and the eco-function of agricultural eco-tourism resources. The essential role of auxiliary classification system is to provide basis for macro-management, and it is classified on the criteria of the industry characteristics, operation entity, scale and modes of operation.(3) The thesis proposes phase-oriented evaluation scheme of agricultural eco-tourism resources. The evaluations of agricultural eco-tourism resources should be conducted in two phases, the first phase of development and the second phase of operation, on three aspects:the quality of tourism resources, the development/operation conditions and the sustainable operation of development/the operation sustainability.Moreover, the evaluation index systems as well as standards of grading are established respectively.(4) The classification and evaluation systems concerning agricultural eco-tourism resources are put into practice in the case study of two typical agricultural eco-tourist areas in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, namely, Nanning Bagui Garden featuring natural landscape and Longsheng Terraced Fields featuring artificial landscape. The evaluation findings as regards to tourism resource quality, development conditions and sustainable operation do reveal the true pictures of agricultural eco-tourism resources in these two areas.(5) Based on the two field surveys, development strategies for agricultural eco-tourist areas are proposed over the issues of development orientation, choices of commercial modes and development modes; suggestions for agricultural eco-tourist area construction are put forward; and development plans for Guangxi agricultural eco-tourist areas are drawn up.To sum up, the thesis has scientifically defined two core concepts of agricultural eco-tourism and agricultural eco-tourism resources, based on which the need of macro and micro management and the functions of tourist resources have been taken into a comprehensive consideration; the main and auxiliary classification schemes and systems of agricultural eco-tourism resources have been put forward; the evaluation systems of agricultural eco-tourism resources have been established which include two-phase evaluations, that is, evaluation in the process of tourism resource exploration and evaluation in tourism resource management.