Abstract

Against the backdrop of rural revitalization and deepening culture–tourism integration in China, this study examines the operating mechanisms of creative rural tourism in ethnic minority regions through a qualitative case study of Dehang Village in Western Hunan. Drawing on stakeholder theory and Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, it finds that cultural resources become tourist attractions through scenographic reconfiguration, forming a composite supply of nature, culture, and experience. The case also reveals a nested collaborative structure centered on the government, enterprises, and local community, although such collaboration does not automatically ensure distributive balance. Moreover, the interlinkage of cultural experience space, everyday living space, and tourism creative space generates a logic of co-construction, sharing, and co-creation that shapes the sustainability of creative rural tourism. This study enriches our understanding of its operating mechanisms and offers implications for community participation, cultural preservation, and sustainable tourism development.

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