The role of self-gentrification in sustainable tourism: Indigenous entrepreneurship at Honghe Hani Rice Terraces World Heritage Site, China

Indigenous Hani and Yi communities at the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces UNESCO World Heritage Site face threats to their cultural practices and rice cultivation due to gentrification driven by outsiders and state policies, alongside high Indigenous migration. However, some Indigenous individuals are adopting entrepreneurial strategies, improving socio-economic status while resisting gentrification—a process termed 'self-gentrification.' This study proposes self-gentrification as a conservation strategy to balance heritage preservation with Indigenous livelihoods. Researchers used interviews and observations with inhabitants and newcomers to analyze these dynamics.

Chan, J. H., Iankova, K., Zhang, Y., McDonald, T., & Qi, X. (2016). The role of self-gentrification in sustainable tourism: Indigenous entrepreneurship at Honghe Hani Rice Terraces World Heritage Site, China. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 24(8-9), 1262–1279. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2016.1189923