Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : Special Issue on Rural Development – 2025

Page : 1- 17

TANG Lixia¹ ZHANG Zhichao ²

^1,2 China Agricultural University, Beijing, PR China

¹ https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7103-2702

This paper systematically examines the evolution and internal logic of China’s poverty governance, constructing an analytical framework of “Agents-Targets-Tools-Goals.” The research demonstrates that by establishing a pluralistic and coordinated “Large-Scale Poverty Governance” system, China achieved a precise downward shift in its poverty targeting mechanism from regional to individual, a systematic upgrade of policy tools from singular development to comprehensive empowerment and a continuous deepening of goal management from abstract vision to quantifiable assessment. This process reflects an integrated unity of long-term consistency and phased approaches, stability and reform, and doing the best within capacity while acting according to capability. This has resulted in a distinctively Chinese model of poverty governance, offering significant insights for the global effort to reduce poverty. This study illustrates that sustainable poverty reduction is fundamentally rooted in strong political commitment, adaptive policy design, and an effective governance apparatus capable of delivering those policies. This integrated, context-specific approach has not only shaped China’s own achievements but also offers a distinctive model and knowledge base from which other developing countries may draw in designing localised poverty alleviation strategies

Key Words : : Policy instruments, poverty governance model, poverty reduction, poverty targeting

Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : Special Issue on Rural Development – 2025

Page : 19- 36

K.S.I.D. Vilochana¹ L.R.M.A.U.S Bandara ²

¹ Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management Studies, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
² Department of Commerce and Financial Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

¹ https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5258-0672
² https://orcid.org/ 0009-0006-0326-7335

Sri Lanka’s tourism industry thrives on its natural beauty and culture, yet average tourist daily expenditure is declining due to limited value-adding experiences. This study examines how introducing nightlife experiences influences guest satisfaction. A quantitative survey design was adopted, using a structured 35-item questionnaire based on the experience economy, measured on a five-point Likert scale. Data were collected via convenience sampling from 384 foreign tourists who visited Sri Lanka in 2023 at key destinations such as Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Sigiriya, and Ella. Entertainment, aesthetic, and escape experiences were specified as independent variables, and guest satisfaction as the dependent variable. Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis were employed to test three hypotheses. All three dimensions of nightlife experience showed a significant positive effect on guest satisfaction, explaining a substantial proportion of its variance. The study is limited by the use of non probability sampling and its focus on short-term visitor responses. The findings suggest that well-designed nightlife products that blend international entertainment with Sri Lankan cultural elements can enhance guest satisfaction and contribute to increasing tourist spending and, ultimately, to the economic development of Sri Lanka.

Key Words : : Economic development, guest satisfaction, nightlife experience, Sri Lankan cultural value

Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : Special Issue on Rural Development – 2025

Page : 37- 57

R. Sivashanker

Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4531-4760

Digitalisation stimulates equitable development of operational efficiency, market exposure, and knowledge dissemination. Perceived green knowledge builds an ecological mindset among the entrepreneurs, and sustainable entrepreneurs imply the green consciousness to build a business framework that makes uniform advancement in balancing profit and the environment. Despite the satisfactory progress in personal and digital competencies, firm level digital adoption of digital solutions at the enterprise level is suboptimal. Perceived eco knowledge, fundamental sustainability values, and successful integration of digital solutions would endorse eco-friendly commercial achievements. The study aims to examine the impact of digital transformation, sustainable entrepreneurship, and green knowledge in strengthening a resilient economic framework for Sri Lanka. This quantitative-based study follows a convenience sampling technique in examining 300 entrepreneurs. Findings reveal the influence of an array of components of digital transformation, sustainable entrepreneurship, and perceived green knowledge, positively rendering sustainable economic values in Sri Lanka. The positive linear relationship in the green perception of entrepreneurs is driven by self-assessed environmental awareness, product and technical competence, and green market literacy. The application of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things is constructing an effective digital transformation where circular economic practices, acceptance of eco-friendly practices, and green promotion are producing substantial results on a sustainable-resilient economy in the Sri Lankan context. More attention on digital education, strategic efforts on sustainable value addition on goods and services, sustainable development initiatives, and mechanisms would help to Sri Lankan economy to grow in green

Key Words : : Circular economic practices, digital transformation, green knowledge, resilient economy, sustainable entrepreneurship

Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : Special Issue on Rural Development – 2025

Page : 59 – 83

E.A. Ekanayake

Ministry of Trade, Sri Lanka

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4473-8531

This study investigates the determinants influencing tourists’ selection of homestays in Nilaveli, Trincomalee, addressing a significant gap in Sri Lankan tourism literature, which has largely examined host perspectives rather than traveller decision factors. The research specifically aims to assess how perceived security, facilities, tariffs, and location affect tourists’ choice of homestays. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 200 tourists who had stayed in Nilaveli homestays, using a structured, self-administered questionnaire rated on a five-point Likert scale. A purposive sampling method was adopted, and data reliability and validity were confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha (≥0.7), KMO/Bartlett’s tests (KMO ≥0.7; p<0.01), Average Variance Extracted (>0.50), and discriminant validity checks. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses in SPSS. Results revealed that all determinants significantly correlated with homestay choice – homestay security (r=0.729), homestay facilities (r=0.694), homestay tariffs (r=0.663), and homestay location (r=0.722), all at p

Key Words : : Accommodation choice, community-based tourism, homestay tourism, location attributes, perceived safety, service quality

Journal Title: Journal of Management and Tourism Research

Volume : Special Issue on Rural Development – 2025

Page : 85 – 102

G.G.T.Y. Gunathilake¹, S.P. Dodantenna ², K.P.D.S. Kandangamuwa ³, R.H. Banduge ⁴

¹ Department of Management, NSBM Green University, Sri Lanka
^2,4 Department of Marketing and Tourism, NSBM Green University, Sri Lanka
³ Department of Health Sciences, NSBM Green University, Sri Lanka

¹ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4349-5838
² https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1492-9482
³ https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8084-2472
⁴ https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9034-8384

Spiritual Tourism (ST) is one of the fastest-growing niches in global tourism, embracing pilgrimage, wellness, heritage, and transformational travel. It is predominantly rural in character, linking sacred landscapes, monastic retreats, and pilgrimage trails with peripheral communities. Sri Lanka has a comparative advantage with sacred sites like Sri Pāda, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy, Kataragama, Madhu, and meditation centres in abundance. Moreover, despite this richness, ST generates under USD 50 million annually and accounts for under 0.5% of international arrivals, and local pilgrim flows remain poorly inserted into rural value chains. This article evaluates the potential of ST for rural development in Sri Lanka through a comparative and indicator-based approach. Drawing on secondary data, the article compares Sri Lanka with four similar cases: Spain’s Camino de Santiago, India’s Uttarakhand circuits, Japan’s Shikoku pilgrimage, and Romania’s Moldavia monasteries. These show how rural economies are benefited by MSME (Micro-Small-and-Medium Enterprises), engagement, infrastructural development, and custodianship of culture. Prolific hotspots such as Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Israel are not regarded due to their negligible rural spillovers. Scenario modelling recommends that Sri Lanka could increase ST receipts from under USD 50 million to 218–571 million annually by prioritising enhanced branding, circuit development, credentialing systems, rural infrastructure upgrades, and MSME integration, while institutionalising stewardship frameworks. Outcomes position ST as an unrealised rural regeneration, social cohesion, and heritage conservation. The study contributes by placing ST at the intersection of economic, psychosocial, and cultural effects, and by mapping pathways for Sri Lanka to become a regional centre for transformative travel.

Key Words : : MSMEs, pilgrimage, rural development, spiritual tourism, Sri Lanka