Advancing scale development of tourists’ cultural experience in ethnic villages

Analyzing tourists’ cultural experience in ethnic villages is essential for preserving these cultures and promoting sustainable development in rural areas and tourism. This research explores the various dimensions and index systems utilised for assessing tourists’ cultural experience in ethnic villages. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 tourists visiting ethnic villages, alongside a meticulous selection of 35 online travel notes related to these villages. The gathered text materials underwent a word frequency analysis utilising Micro Word Cloud. Subsequently, a content analysis was performed using MAXQDA12 analysis software, leading to the refinement of dimensions and indicators related to cultural experience in ethnic villages. Then, through empirical research, a total of 421 valid responses were collected in a survey to test the scales. Based on an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the findings unveiled a structural framework for tourists’ cultural experience in ethnic villages, comprising three dimensions: sensory cultural experience, conceptual cultural experience, and situational cultural experience. Scale development from this framework encompassed 14 indicators. The research outcomes contribute to the advancement of measurement research on tourists’ cultural experience in ethnic villages, offering a robust theoretical foundation for their evaluation and assessment.