International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

‘Tourism and Livelihood’ is our Topic of the Month for October 2024. On this topic, enjoy this month Free Access to this article by Shaogui Xu and Yifan Zuo (Jinan University, China), Rob Law (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong) and Mu Zhang (Jinan University, China) published in International Sociology, Impact of farmers’ participation in tourism on sustainable livelihood outcomes in border tourism areas. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Shaogui Xu

Yifan Zuo

Rob Law

Mu Zhang

Why are you working on this topic? Could you share an experience, a fact or a person who made you get engage on that research?

S. Xu: Firstly, I was born in a rural area, which has made me very familiar with and interested in rural affairs. Secondly, this article was completed during my master’s degree. At that time, our research team was focused on the topic of poverty reduction through tourism, particularly concerning the sustainable livelihood of farmers in border areas. Based on this interest, our team conducted several research trips to the Sino-Vietnamese border area. During our research, we discovered that many farmers had mixed feelings about participating in tourism but were eager to find ways to earn additional income to support their families. This deeply resonated with me and reminded me of my own parents, which is why I initiated this research.

Do you have any video, recorded conference, or online material that you would like us to share with others?

S. Xu: I have some pictures taken during my field research.

What would you emphasize about your academic trajectory? Can you highlight which have been your academic positions, universities, awards, departments and research centers please?

S. Xu: Prof. Zhang is a renowned professor at the Shenzhen Institute of Tourism at Jinan University in China. He has extensive research experience in rural tourism, heritage tourism, cultural tourism, and tourism informatization.

As for myself, I am currently a lecturer at Fujian Normal University in China. I graduated in June this year with a PhD in Tourism Management. Last year, I spent one year in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Tech. Since my master’s degree, I have been focusing on poverty alleviation through tourism and sustainable livelihoods for farmers in impoverished areas. As my research continues, I am now concentrating on stakeholders in rural tourism areas, such as small tourism business owners, farmers, and local governments.