Evaluation of Sustainable Tourism Development in Dachen Island, East China Sea: Stakeholders’ Perspective

Abstract

Sustainable tourism development on small islands remains challenging because of the potential conflict of interest among relevant stakeholders. This study aims to explore the issue of sustainable tourism development in small island destinations through the example of Dachen Island in China. More specifically, this study intends to fulfill three objectives: (1) assess the stakeholders’ perception of tourism sustainable development using five major sustainability dimensions: economic sustainability, sociocultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, tourism development, and tourism management; (2) explore the major reasons for potential conflict of interest among the stakeholders; and (3) propose some conflict resolution mechanisms. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from 29 stakeholders including locals, visitors, officials, and academicians. The findings indicated that sustainable tourism is developing rapidly on Dachen Island and our respondents showed reasonable satisfaction with the five sustainability dimensions, with emphasis placed on the potential for improving sustainable performance in the future. However, locals were less satisfied with the economic sustainability than other stakeholders. Limited conflict of interest among stakeholders was justified based on the ranking of their perceived priorities. Our findings recommend adopting responsible tourism and we highlight three conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure effective sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island, including the involvement of local communities in decision making, encouraging responsible visitor behavior, and enhancing infrastructure and services.

1. Introduction

China’s rapid economic development has increased the demand for leisure and tourism. This has placed pressure on the urban tourism environment system and exacerbated the already acute contradiction between the economic development of tourism and the ecological environment. In addition, China’s tourism consumption is becoming diversified and personalized [1]. The debate regarding whether tourism stakeholders believe that sustainable tourism should develop more on an economic, sociocultural, or environmental basis has received remarkable attention from academicians and policymakers [2].

Sustainable tourism development is critical, especially on small islands as extremely fragile geographical, economic, and sociocultural entities. Islands are considered favorable tourist attractions by a growing number of tourists and travelers to enjoy the sociocultural elements such as experiences and viewing distinctive cultures, histories, and natural environments, as well as true authenticity [3]. The major challenges for achieving sustainable goals on small islands include (1) ineffective application of laws and regulations; (2) perceptions of blindness among inhabitants in the decision-making process; (3) issues with workload, fair compensation, and work–life balance among tourism workers; (4) complaints from visitors regarding safety and security, tourism attractions, environmental integrity, lodging and food, and cultural aspects; and (5) indications of detrimental effects on the environment and host communities [4].

Despite their remarkable contributions to local and global tourism, small islands experience diseconomies of scale due to their limited space and connectivity [4]. Recent research on sustainable tourism development on small islands has focused mainly on identifying barriers and challenges and assessing tourist development from the viewpoint of stakeholders [4,5,6,7]. Cohen [8] states that “tourism researchers have related to the role of the islands’ inhabitants in tourism development, but paid scarce attention to the wider effects of tourism penetration upon island societies” (p. 26). Hardy and Pearson [9] argued that tourism operators’ and regulators’ perspectives of sustainable tourism development have been less studied. Small islands exert a powerful attraction on tourists; their characteristic “gestalt of remoteness, difference, distance, distinct culture and heritage, wilderness environment, and small size constitutes an attraction” [2,10]. On the necessity of a holistic approach to researching the problems of island tourism development, Lim and Cooper [11] state that it is important to answer the question “How a complex and dynamic tourism system can be developed that takes a destination towards an optimal sustainable state to satisfy both visitors and the local community” (p. 89).

This research makes remarkable contributions to the sustainable tourism development literature, especially on small islands, by addressing the major stakeholders’ interests and conflicts and suggesting effective conflict resolution mechanisms. Additionally, our study offers numerous practical implications for tourism policies and local authorities to enhance sustainable tourism development on small islands. Upon an assessment of sustainable tourism development from the viewpoint of officials, scholars, local citizens, and visitors on Dachen Island, our research intended to provide a framework for resolving the potential conflict among relevant stakeholders. Our study advocates the need to understand the different interests of stakeholders by examining sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island using five major sustainability dimensions: economic sustainability, sociocultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, tourism development, and tourism management.

Sustainable Tourism Development on Dachen Island

Dachen Island is located in the East China Sea and consists of two main islands administered by the Jiaojiang district in Taizhou City, Zhejiang province. It covers an area of 14.6 square kilometers which is dominated by a subtropical monsoon with the northerly wind in winter and the opposite in summer. The tourism industry on Dachen Island has witnessed remarkable growth due to its distinctive nature and the increased government attention given to developing its infrastructure and services [12]. Dachen Island, known for its natural landscapes and historical relics, attracts numerous tourists, leading locals to broadly consider tourism as an important means to promote and preserve the island’s unique culture. Furthermore, the growth of the tourism industry has spurred the expansion of related service sectors, providing employment opportunities for locals [13] and thereby increasing their support for social and cultural sustainability.

Several initiatives and strategies have been implemented on the island to promote sustainable tourism [14]. First, Dachen Island has designated scenic areas that are managed sustainably to protect the natural environment while allowing tourists to enjoy the beauty of the island. For instance, strict regulations are enforced to prevent littering, protect wildlife habitats, and preserve the coastline. Second, Dachen Island has promoted heritage tourism by preserving and showcasing its cultural heritage. Traditional villages, historical sites, and cultural events are key attractions for tourists. Third, the island has established zoning regulations and development guidelines to control the growth of tourism infrastructure and ensure that new construction projects comply with environmental standards. This helps prevent overdevelopment and protects sensitive ecological areas. Community members, who are important stakeholders, are greatly impacted by tourism activities and have a significant influence on tourist destinations [15]. As such, their perceptions are critical for developing effective tourism strategies. Huang et al. [16] examined the impact of human fishing activities on fishery resources on Dachen Island and reported that the fishery resources and marine environment were moderately balanced. Overall, Dachen Island’s approach to sustainable tourism development combines environmental conservation, cultural preservation, community engagement, and responsible tourism practices. These efforts not only enhance the tourism experience for visitors but also contribute to the long-term sustainability of the island’s natural and cultural resources [17].

2. Theoretical Framework

2.1. Stakeholder Theory

This research employed the stakeholder theory in the tourism industry to better understand the significant role of identifying and involving relevant stakeholders in achieving sustainable tourism development on small islands. Researchers argue that the stakeholder theory emphasizes the importance of identifying stakeholders’ interests and perceptions to meet the requirements for sustainable development [18], and highlight the significance of collaboration among multiple stakeholders for the effective gathering of all relevant resources, strategies, and capacity regarding “multi-stakeholder systems to evolve and transform for survival and success” [19]. They indicate the importance of positivity and negativity regarding locals’ perceptions as the basis for a conducted analysis (Rasoolimanesh et al.) [20].

The prominent themes in the debate on sustainable tourism development revolve around two main concepts: The triple bottom line (TBL) and the importance of stakeholder involvement. The tourism sector encompasses multiple stakeholders, each with different goals and interests. In this regard, Byrd [21] argued that pursuing sustainable tourism development relies mainly on the active involvement of stakeholders. As a result, all relevant tourist stakeholders’ interests and viewpoints are regarded as equal and legitimate [22]. Similarly, Björ [23] and Angelkova et al. [24] argued that sustainable tourism necessitates close collaboration between travel agencies, tourism destinations, and government agencies to overcome obstacles and maintain competitiveness.

Stakeholder theory plays a significant role in the expansion of sustainable tourism by helping to identify the primary stakeholders involved in planning and decision making. This leads to a more straightforward, mutually agreeable, and sustainable tourism process that benefits all parties involved in the destination [25,26]. The designers and developers of the tourist attraction also observed that a wide range of stakeholders impacted by the growth of sustainable tourism must be included in the policy-making process in the area. As a result, stakeholder theory aids in the creation of a management framework that adheres to the ethics and tenets of the sustainable development model [27]. In this regard, stakeholder management is vital for the success of a tourist destination due to its influential role in the destination’s long-term tourism development [28,29]. Our study argues that investigating the viewpoints of key stakeholders such as locals, officials, visitors, small business owners, hotel managers, and academicians enhances our understanding of the evaluation of sustainable tourism on small islands, identifying the potential conflict of interest among stakeholders and proposing some conflict resolution mechanisms.

2.2. Metrics of Sustainable Tourism and Stakeholders’ Interest

Freeman [30] defined a stakeholder as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives” (p. 46), while Donaldson and Preston [22] argued that a stakeholder must have a legitimate interest in the organization. According to stakeholder theory, stakeholders can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary stakeholders [31,32]. Primary stakeholders are those parties that, in the absence of their support, an institution or program would fail or be unable to continue [32,33]. Secondary stakeholders influence or are impacted by the organization, although the success or survival of a project is not dependent on secondary stakeholders [21,32,33]. Both types of stakeholders are present in a tourism destination. In the tourism industry, the major stakeholders are the visitors, tourism operators, locals, and officials [9]. Scholars highlight the importance of stakeholder recognition and involvement in tourist management decision making [9,32].

Kenawy et al. [31] argued that stakeholders’ interests define their actions. The influential role played by stakeholders in enhancing the sustainable development of a specific destination is not determined by their possession of money or information but by fulfilling their duties toward it [27]. Stakeholder interest is frequently influenced by the potential harm or advantage that the project may cause. Several variables, such as project ownership, values, legal disputes, financial incentives, and some risk and return, could affect stakeholders’ interests. Researchers identified several stakeholder interests in sustainable tourism after reviewing prior research [34,35,36] as (1) environmental interest, (2) sociocultural interests, and (3) economic interests. In their research on the stakeholders’ views on the sustainability of tourism development of the Galapagos Islands, the authors of [37] identified three main priorities: (1) involving local stakeholders in a common sustainable tourism vision for tourism development; (2) attending to community concerns, particularly those related to basic services, health, stakeholder perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and education; and (3) evaluating and maintaining the proper balance between low-cost informal tourism and “high-end” regulated tourism.

Despite the great consensus on the importance of stakeholders’ involvement in sustainable tourism development literature, it is essential to identify the key stakeholders and explain the mechanisms of involving them in the process of tourism development [21]. Understanding that stakeholders’ interests differ among and within the groups is important for attaining sustainable development in a tourist destination [35,36]. Diverse stakeholder interests may block activity identification and distort collaborative efforts, ultimately leading to project failure. Stakeholder interests are crucial in stakeholder management to ensure project success [38]. In addition, acknowledging and interacting with different stakeholders promotes fresh ideas, wins support, treats everyone equally, fortifies the project, and steers clear of obstacles like stakeholder resistance or apathy [5,6].

Achieving Sustainable Development Goals requires the contribution of a varied range of stakeholders who can exchange their knowledge, capacities, and activities to optimize a location’s appeal while conserving its resources for the future [39]. For example, there is a growing recognition among tourists that environmental deterioration is important not only for long-term or sustainable development but also for current wellbeing, as they seek out amenities like clean air, clear waters, and peaceful spaces. Integrative and comprehensive approaches to sustainable growth and policy development will arise from collaboration among stakeholders with different interests and from different sectors [40]. Similar interests among stakeholders from various groups are said to positively influence achieving better results in a tourism destination [41,42]. If the interests are critical, stakeholders are more inclined to defend them [42].

Tourism management encompasses all aspects of the hospitality and travel industries, including working in associations or agencies directly involved in the provision of tourism services, as well as providing extensive training opportunities for positions in the travel, accommodation, and food management industries. Özgit [43] indicated that the ideal strategy for long-term sustainable tourism required the construction of an effective monitoring system and regulations that are swiftly implemented through strong governance. Tölkes [44] underlined that tourist products should meet demanding norms of economic equality (e.g., local purchasing), sociocultural effect (e.g., cultural heritage protection), and environmental stewardship (e.g., responsible resource management). Effective tourism management is required to avoid unintended negative consequences for both ecosystems and local communities [45], and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., dealing with high energy and water consumption, inadequate waste management, land use change, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss) [24]. Effective tourism management is required to prevent unintended negative consequences for both ecosystems and local communities [46]. The implementation of sustainable tourism can run more smoothly if stakeholders’ interests are taken into consideration. This can help to improve the outcome and promote the expansion of sustainable tourism in the area [47]. Our study argues that locals, visitors, small business owners, and officials are the primary stakeholders while academicians and nongovernmental environmental organizations are the secondary stakeholders. Hence, this study intended to investigate the issue of sustainable tourism on Dachen Island based on the viewpoints of these stakeholders, figure out the potential conflicts of interest among them, and suggest effective mechanisms to resolve possible conflicts of interest.

2.3. Conflicts of Interest among Stakeholders

Sustainable tourism is presented as a solution for both tourism development and environmental conservation; however, there are numerous conflicts between the two objectives [48]. Primary sustainability challenges can be found at the local level, where competing interests over a tourist destination usually come into play. The three pillars of sustainable tourism—economic, environmental, and sociocultural sustainability—have a significant multidisciplinary component. Conflicts in the argument between economic and social concerns about tourism’s good and negative repercussions lead to fresh conversations about the capacity and acceptable boundaries of tourism destinations and their alternatives, such as eco-tourism [49]. Developing sustainable tourism through quantitative indicators, on the other hand, has become increasingly important as the need to understand the possible implications of tourism development on destinations grows.

Research has indicated that the primary barrier to sustainable tourism is the inability of stakeholders to recognize issues and pursue shared interests [50,51]. Furthermore, earlier research has shown that the interest and capacity of stakeholders to govern vary with time [52] which may have an additional effect on the destination’s ability to maintain ecotourism. Researchers found that some stakeholders may impede the destination’s ability to sustain ecotourism [35,36,53]. Consequently, sustainable tourism necessitates the effective management and comprehension of all stakeholders’ interests and impact on the destination. Stakeholder adoption of sustainable tourism concepts is discouraged by a lack of stakeholder management, which also leads to significant overlap and unwarranted resource consumption in the destination [53].

2.4. Mechanisms of Resolving Conflicts of Interest among Stakeholders

Many studies have addressed the conflict over ecotourism sites, but there have been limitations, such as studies based on interviews and questionnaires having difficulty connecting to specific spatial planning, and natural data-based research and public participation geographic information systems having difficulty identifying microscopic conflicts [48]. Beyond identifying stakeholders, Murphy’s [54] significant research established the importance of stakeholder participation. As proposed, “more actors should become involved, those who are experts and those who are affected” (p. 172). Stakeholder participation can help to avoid conflicts among stakeholders involved in tourism development. Sustainable tourism in tiny islands faces several obstacles that might arise at the local level when different, often conflicting, interests emerge. One of the key causes of conflict is the failure to manage stakeholders based on their interests, in which one stakeholder attempts to influence others to attain his interests [55]. Stakeholders play a crucial role in implementing sustainable ecotourism in a destination [56,57,58]. Previous research showed that a tourist destination’s sustainability depends on stakeholder interest [59,60]. Without stakeholder involvement, ecotourism destinations will not last long [50]. Wu et al. [61] identified several sustainability issues that harm locals’ attitudes toward tourism development and recommended that the government take “concentration” actions to reduce the levels of impacts of some economic (including inflation, urban service charges, and housing prices) and environmental (including noise pollution and natural landscape destruction). Furthermore, the government of Macau should implement “keep down” measures for the majority of sociocultural difficulties. However, the behavioral reaction of locals is critical to the development and sustainability of local tourism. The key motivation for citizens to support tourist development is improving the community’s economic and social wellbeing [62]. In other words, if citizens believe the benefits outweigh the possible costs, they are more inclined to favor tourism growth. Research on sustainable tourism emphasizes the importance of local communities in supporting tourism, which is an excellent instrument for contributing to the local economy [63]. Based on using semistructured interviews with multiple stakeholders, our research intends to propose some effective mechanisms for managing the potential conflict of interest among stakeholders on Dachen Island.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Initial Stage of Data Collection

To gain a bird’s eye view of the sustainable tourism development status, we visited Dachen Island and conducted informal interviews with some locals and one official. Based on our observations and interviews, we figured out some interesting information. First, Dachen Island is an excellent example of efforts to achieve sustainable tourism development in China. Many tourists are attracted to Dachen Island to enjoy lush forests, turquoise waters, and mouthwatering seafood. Second, many locals immigrated to the urban cities in Zhejiang province, and locals are not highly satisfied with the government’s efforts as they cannot feel the positive impact of such efforts on their personal lives. Third, given the small size of the island, it has no community center and there are only two schools and one hospital. The number of hotels has increased from 45 in 2019 to 73 in 2024. Such findings triggered our interest to investigate the stakeholders’ perceived evaluation of the sustainable tourism development on the island, figure out if there are any conflicts of interest among them, and suggest effective mechanisms to resolve such conflicts.

3.2. Second Stage of Data Collection

Based on the findings of the preliminary stage of data collection, we decided to use semistructured interviews to collect data from several stakeholders. This study used a qualitative approach and employed semistructured interviews to collect data from multiple tourism stakeholders to investigate sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island. The interview questions were prepared in a simple and understandable manner to reflect accurate and relevant responses. Our interviews had eight general questions that were asked to all respondents (see Appendix A). Each interview lasted about 90 min, and while a predominantly verbal “free-flowing” style of communication was adopted, precise questions served as a guide. Additionally, a specific set of questions was directed to locals, academicians, visitors, officials, and hotel managers.

Understanding how local stakeholders view sustainability challenges is crucial for advancing tourism’s sustainability. In this vein, researchers identified the key stakeholders in the tourism industry including locals, tourists, industries, government officials, and nongovernment organizations, among others [23,64]. To reduce the potential bias in our interview process, we decided to select our interviewees based on two criteria: (1) selecting interviewees with different backgrounds with an emphasis on their abilities to recognize the continued efforts devoted to implementing sustainable tourism development throughout the last 10 years; and (2) familiarity with the specific nature of the Island such as smallness of the domestic market, limited physical space, isolation, natural resources, and closed systems. According to scheduled appointments, we interviewed 29 stakeholders between October 2023 and March 2024. With permission from the participants, all interviews were audio recorded.

Table 1. Selection of stakeholders.

Type of Stakeholders	Number	Brief Description
Locals	9	4 fishermen, 3 employees, and 2 retirees.
Small business owners	4	Owners of restaurants, convenience stores, cafes.
Visitors	7	5 regular visitors and 2 visitors (first time).
Officials	2	Director of the publicity department of Dachen island, Chinese communist party member.
Hotel managers	5	Working at five big hotels for more than 7 years.
Academicians *	2	Two professors specialize in sustainable tourism development.

* Academicians do not live on Dachen Island but are aware of its nature and its inhabitants.

displays the affiliations and activities of our participants.

We began our semistructured interviews with two professors who specialize in sustainability and have a research interest in sustainable ecotourism development. Even though academicians are not considered direct stakeholders of sustainable tourism development on small islands, we believe that the selected academicians possess sufficient theoretical knowledge about sustainable tourism development and effective ways to interview relevant informants.

The first set of questions revolved around figuring out our respondents’ understanding of the general terms such as sustainability, sustainable development, and tourism sustainable development on the island. In addition, respondents were requested to identify the sustainable development actions undertaken on the island during the last 10 years. Further, we asked respondents to identify sustainable tourism accomplishments in the last decade in terms of environmental, economic, sociocultural, tourism development, and tourism management. Moreover, interviewees were asked whether there is a conflict of interest among stakeholders based on their evaluation of sustainable tourism development on the island. Finally, respondents were requested to suggest the potential mechanisms for resolving the conflict of interest and enhancing the process of sustainable tourism development.

We utilized NVivo 12 to analyze the interview data and employed a thematic analysis method. Each interview was transcribed from the first notes and then transferred to the NVivo 12 tool. In addition, we evaluated each transcript several times to identify content that was relevant to significant subjects. Selected quotes were analyzed to categorize a variety of themes and prepare the data for further examination. This was performed based on the relationships, similarities, and subsequent difficulties under each major topic. We hold a neutral position when coding, summarizing, analyzing, and reporting data.

4. Results

Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. The word frequency query from interviews is depicted in Figure 1, which also highlights the importance of certain words and concepts. The fundamental frequently used words were locals, tourism, economic, visitors, infrastructure, and Dachen.

We were interested in figuring out the respondents’ interpretations of the “sustainability” term and how it related to tourism on small islands. Sustainability was deemed “a broad term that is hard to define” by our respondents overall, but in the context of tourism, they understood it to mean things like engaging in low-impact activities, preserving natural resources for long-term sustainability, being adaptable, taking into account the relationship between humans and nature, and using resources in a “balanced” way that balances positive and negative effects. We summarized their understanding of sustainable tourism as follows: preserving the island’s environmental, social, and cultural characteristics and distributing tourism benefits to the community inclusively and equitably. Officials believe that incorporating the idea of sustainability into tourism is a difficult task that calls for work from all local community actors in addition to individuals with a direct interest in the industry. The respondent from the government stakeholder group expressed concerns about insufficient resources and budget allocations, which could lead to new and creative projects being missed. According to our respondents, attaining sustainability entails striking the best possible balance between the advantages that low-impact tourism activities have for the environment and the benefits of tourism activities that help communities thrive by providing resources. The stakeholder groups differed in their interpretations of what sustainability meant, but they all made comments about the various problems with sustainability that they had personally encountered or were exposed to on Dachen Island.

In addition, we were interested in understanding the readiness of locals to accept sustainable tourism policies such as restricted fishing, reserving nature, and dealing with visitors from other cities. Two locals claimed that inhabitants of Dachen Island have demonstrated a positive attitude towards the implementation of sustainable tourism policies and have effectively adhered to these policies in their daily lives. Particularly in the fishing industry, locals comply with government regulations set during fishing bans, strictly prohibiting fishing until the end of the ban period. Such behavior not only protects marine ecology but also provides opportunities for the restoration of marine resources, thus supporting the goals of eco-tourism and sustainable development. Moreover, the island’s locals also support and participate in other nature conservation measures, such as waste sorting and environmental cleaning activities, which are crucial components of advancing sustainable tourism policies. Through these practices, the inhabitants of Dachen Island not only improve their quality of life but also contribute to maintaining the island’s natural beauty and ecological balance. This indicates that the locals of Dachen Island are not only ready to embrace sustainable tourism policies but are also actively implementing these policies to ensure that tourism activities have minimal environmental impact. Locals of Dachen Island exhibit a positive attitude towards welcoming tourists from other cities. This is primarily because the influx of visitors not only stimulates local tourism development but also positively impacts the island’s cultural dissemination and economic activities. Therefore, despite facing potential cultural and resource pressures from the increasing number of tourists, most locals continue to support and willingly accept visitors, viewing them as an opportunity to foster local development and cultural exchange.

4.1. Stakeholders’ Perceived Assessment of Sustainable Tourism Development

One official clarified that “As part of the Jiaojiang District in Taizhou City, the local government of Dachen Island maintains highly close communication and coordination with its higher authorities—the Taizhou City Government and the even higher-level Zhejiang Provincial Government”. She added that this communication is designed to ensure that local policies align with provincial and city-level policies, while also addressing any administrative or developmental issues that may arise. Furthermore, this frequent interaction aids Dachen Island in gaining more support and guidance in areas such as resource allocation, environmental protection, economic development, and social services. Through such communication mechanisms, Dachen Island can effectively advance its development goals, ensuring that local needs are responded to and met.

In assessing the development of infrastructure during the last 5 years, our respondents indicated that the island has experienced a noticeable development of infrastructure. Many management initiatives have been implemented, according to our interviewees, to curb issues that have been affecting the conservation of the islands. These issues include growing immigration, population growth, the introduction of exotic species, overfishing, waste generation and disposal, and the effects of expanding tourism. When asked what they thought has been accomplished in this decade, most respondents mentioned the implementation of management standards and regulations. These approaches have helped solve the aforementioned difficulties, limiting their economic activity and altering their lifestyle (

Table 2. Accomplishments in the last 10 years.

Dimensions	Description
Environmental	Implementation of numerous eco-friendly practices such as recycling initiatives, ensuring reasonable and responsible fishing activities, waste management programs.
Economic	Remarkable investment in infrastructure (especially wind power generation, roads and Island ports). Job creation, especially in the hospitality, fishery, and food and beverage industry.
Social-cultural	Community engagement to ensure the voices of the local community are heard and their interests are protected. Cultural preservation (support local artisans, celebrate island customs and history, showcasing traditional crafts).
Tourism development	Offering a diverse range of tourism experience such as eco-tours and cultural immersion programs. Encouraging visitors to be responsible by providing effective education and guidance on conservation efforts, and responsible tourism practices through interpretive guides and visitor centers.
Tourism management	Establishing a regulatory framework that includes zoning regulations, environmental impact assessments, and tourism guidelines to ensure responsible and sustainable development. Fostering stakeholder’s collaboration between locals, community centers, and local businesses.

).

In terms of tourism management, some interviewees from both groups mentioned that current tourism management policies have made it easier to organize, control, and manage tourism operations and business by facilitating the collection of data needed to oversee and manage tourism activities on land and at sea. Apart from this, our interviewees indicated additional measures that have contributed to tackling certain environmental, social, and tourism-related issues (Table 2).

Sustainable development on Dachen Island requires the participation of its people. Officials mentioned that “there is no denial that everyone (we, locals, fishers, visitors, small business owners) have a key role to play in the sustainability of tourism activities in Dachen Island”. One hotel manager said that “everyone wants to engage in tourism, more visitor sites to be opened, more tourism-related businesses to be established”. To ensure Dachen Island’s viability throughout time, we must cooperate with all parties involved and come to minimal agreements. If not, we will all be against one another at this rate, which will result in a huge increase in tourists. Similarly, one of the academicians elaborated that “all parties involved—public, private, and community—need to come to an understanding regarding Dachen’s future, both today and in 10 or 15 years”.

First, our findings indicated that the two government officials are satisfied with the current tourism sustainable development status on Dachen Island and highlighted the need for improving sustainable performance in the future. Second, the locals were unsatisfied with the sustainable tourism development and asked for reasonable government support, more specifically improving the economic and sociocultural sustainability. Third, the visitors were moderately satisfied and recommended further improvement, especially in both economic and sociocultural blocks of the island tourism sustainable development. Fourth, the hotel managers were satisfied with the development of sustainable tourism on Dachen Island and called for enhancement of the island’s infrastructure to recruit more visitors and provide high-quality services.

One local citizen mentioned that “Most homestays were powered by gas, which was kept in tanks and delivered to Dachen from Jiaojiang district, 50 km away”. When inclement weather struck or gas supplies on the islands ran low, they were left without energy for cooking, bathing, or lighting. In 2019, they began transitioning from gas to electricity with the help of the local power department. Electricity has not only increased the quality of their service, but it has also lowered operational costs by 20%. Dachen has exerted remarkable efforts to achieve a zero-carbon transition in recent years. For instance, the island has 34 wind turbines, 17 all-electric hotels, ubiquitous electric buses, and shared bikes. The official stated that “to satisfy demand, a complete hydrogen energy demonstration project converts hydrogen into electricity during periods of high electricity consumption or grid maintenance”.

Our responders believe that the islands’ environmental characteristics were adequately preserved. However, they believe that sustainability will not be accomplished unless social and economic concerns are addressed. One local citizen said: “It is important to reassess what we want to sustain”. He added, “We should not measure income, but the well-being of the people”. In this vein, one academician argued that having a population with poor levels of education, a long-standing issue, will be a constant impediment to achieving sustainable tourism, affecting the achievement of Dachen’s sustainable development. Most respondents emphasized the importance of assessing local inhabitants’ living conditions as tourism raises the cost of living.

4.2. Reasons for Conflict among Stakeholders

On small islands, stakeholders often have conflicting interests and concerns that can hinder the achievement of sustainable tourism. Locals stated that some citizens decided to migrate to other cities in Zhejiang and other provinces due to two main reasons: limited employment opportunities and the imperfect education system for their kids. Two locals explained that “the economy of Dachen Island is relatively homogeneous, primarily dependent on fisheries and some tourism, which limits the diversity of employment opportunities, especially for younger generations”. Therefore, many locals opt to relocate to other parts of Taizhou City, such as the Jiaojiang District or other more developed urban areas, which offer a wider range of career choices and developmental prospects. Another local citizen indicated that the educational resources on Dachen Island are relatively limited, with local schools only providing primary and junior high mandatory education. As the number of students on the island continues to decrease, the quality of education and teachers has declined annually; the lack of qualified teachers means that the island cannot provide sufficient secondary and higher education, forcing parents to consider relocating to more developed areas for their children’s higher education. Three locals expressed the necessity of “prioritizing quality over quantity”, which refers to emphasizing “high-end” tourism with managed environmental effects as opposed to unorganized, less expensive tourism, where it is more difficult to monitor and control individual tourist activities.

When asked about the potential conflict of interest among stakeholders, some locals advocate for strict environmental regulations and limitations on tourist activities to protect the fragile ecosystems of small islands. On the other hand, hotel managers and officials may prioritize economic growth and job creation through increased tourism, leading to tensions between conservation efforts and development aspirations. Further, locals may have concerns about the potential negative impacts of tourism on their quality of life, cultural heritage, and access to resources. Issues such as overcrowding, increased traffic, rising costs of living, and changes in traditional lifestyles can lead to conflicts between the interests of locals and the desires of tourists for amenities and attractions.

Table 3. Major sources of conflict among stakeholders.

Concern	Description
Economic Distribution and Community Benefits	Locals feel that they are not adequately benefiting from tourism-related income, employment opportunities, or business development. Concerns about leakage of tourism revenue to external entities, lack of local entrepreneurship, or insufficient investment in community development.
Locals vs. Tourist Interests	Locals have concerns about the negative impacts of tourism (e.g., rising cost of living, overcrowding, and changes to traditional lifestyle) on their access to resources, quality of life, and cultural heritage, while visitors look for amenities and attractions.
Tourism Seasonality	Tourist arrivals often fluctuate seasonally, leading to challenges in managing the impact on local communities and businesses. During peak seasons, tourism operators and some locals feel overwhelmed by crowds, while businesses struggle to meet demand during off-peak periods.
Traditional Culture and Tourism Adaptation	Locals emphasize the importance of preserving local traditions and authentic cultural experience. Visitors and tourism operators advocate the need to meet the expectations of tourists through commercialization and entertainment.
Environmental Conservation vs. Tourism Development	Locals advocate for strict environmental regulations and limitations on tourist activities to protect the ecosystems of Dachen Island. Officials, tourism operators, and visitors prioritize economic growth and job creation through increased tourism.
Tourism Infrastructure vs. Natural Landscape	Locals highlight the importance of preserving the landscape of Dachen Island while visitors and tourism operators advocate the importance of building hotels, resorts, and recreational facilities to enhance tourism development. Locals call for building new and renovating existing buildings such as hospitals, community centers, and schools.

presents the major sources of conflict among the key stakeholders on Dachen Island. Initially, tourist arrivals often fluctuate seasonally, leading to challenges in managing the impact on local communities and businesses. During peak seasons, locals may feel overwhelmed by crowds, while businesses may struggle to meet demand during off-peak periods. Additionally, locals have concerns about the negative impacts of tourism on their quality of life, cultural heritage, and access to resources. More specifically, locals have concerns with some issues such as overcrowding, increased traffic, rising costs of living, and changes in traditional lifestyles, while visitors look mainly for amenities and attractions. Furthermore, stakeholders have different views on the economic distribution and community benefits. For instance, locals feel that they are not adequately benefiting from tourism-related income, employment opportunities, or business development, while hotels and other businesses argue that they need to gain sufficient profit to compensate for the tourism seasonality fluctuations. Furthermore, stakeholders differ in their views on the appropriate level of cultural adaptation and the balance between preserving local traditions and meeting the expectations of tourists. Moreover, the development of tourism infrastructure, such as hotels, resorts, and recreational facilities, can sometimes clash with the desire to preserve the natural beauty and landscape of small islands. Stakeholders may have differing opinions on the appropriate scale and location of development, with some advocating for stricter regulations to limit the impact on the environment.

The academicians stressed the need to fortify the tourism value chain, enhance tourism services across several dimensions, cultivate ecological awareness among tourism service providers, and offer instruction and guidance. Additionally, academicians and small business owners highlighted the importance of economic diversification. One hotel owner said, “We are overly dependent on one business, and this is a significant concern, and there has been no way of altering it since what other things you can do here? Tourism is also essential to all other economically productive industries”.

4.3. Proposed Mechanisms for Conflict Resolution

All respondents were asked to propose at least one mechanism for solving the potential conflict of interest among stakeholders. The interviews’ findings emphasize the importance of stakeholders’ involvement and collaboration to facilitate sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island. Resolving conflicts among stakeholders on small islands, including visitors, locals, and officials, requires specific considerations due to the unique characteristics and challenges of these destinations. All respondents, including regulators and providers of tourism services, stated that the development of responsible tourism—where there are organized tourism operations and where everyone working in the business receives education and training—is crucial to achieving sustainability.

Table 4. Proposed mechanisms of conflict resolution among stakeholders.

Proposed Mechanism	Description
Involve Local Communities	Locals should have a voice and be actively involved in decision making, as they are directly affected by tourism activities. Encourage their participation in discussions, provide opportunities for input, and ensure their concerns are considered in decision-making processes.
Enhance Infrastructure and Services	Invest in infrastructure and services that benefit both visitors and locals. This may include improving transportation systems, waste management facilities, public spaces, and community facilities.
Encourage Responsible Visitor Behavior	Promote responsible tourism practices among visitors through education, awareness campaigns, and codes of conduct. Emphasize the importance of respecting local customs, minimizing environmental impact, supporting local businesses, and engaging in cultural exchange in a respectful manner.
Diversification of Tourism Offerings	Encourage diversification of tourism offerings to reduce pressure on popular attractions and distribute tourist spending more evenly across the island. Promote ecotourism, cultural tourism, and other sustainable tourism activities that showcase the island’s unique assets.
Education and Awareness	Increase awareness among tourists, locals, and businesses about the importance of sustainable tourism practices. Provide education on environmental conservation, cultural sensitivity, and responsible tourism behavior to promote mutual respect and understanding.
Stakeholder Engagement	Encourage meaningful participation and dialogue among locals, tourists, businesses, and community groups. Involve stakeholders in decision-making processes related to tourism development, ensuring that their concerns and perspectives are heard and considered.

summarizes the influential conflict resolution strategies. The first mechanism of conflict resolution is to increase awareness among tourists, locals, and businesses about the importance of sustainable tourism practices, providing education on environmental conservation, cultural sensitivity, and responsible tourism behavior to promote mutual respect and understanding. In addition, it is advised to invest in infrastructure and services that benefit both visitors and locals. This may include improving transportation systems, waste management facilities, public spaces, and community facilities. By enhancing infrastructure, the needs of both visitors and locals can be better met, reducing potential conflicts arising from resource constraints or inadequate facilities. Further, it is essential to promote responsible tourism practices among visitors through education, awareness campaigns, and codes of conduct, emphasizing the importance of respecting local customs, minimizing environmental impact, supporting local businesses, and engaging in cultural exchange respectfully. They should encourage visitors to be aware of their impact on the destination and to contribute positively to the local community, and promote ecotourism, cultural tourism, and other sustainable tourism activities that showcase the island’s unique assets. Moreover, they should encourage meaningful participation and dialogue among locals, tourists, businesses, and community groups, and involve stakeholders in decision-making processes related to tourism development, ensuring that their concerns and perspectives are heard and considered. Finally, they should recognize the importance of engaging local communities in tourism planning and development processes. Locals should have a voice and be actively involved in decision making, as they are directly affected by tourism activities. Their participation should be encouraged in discussions, providing opportunities for input and ensuring their concerns are considered in decision-making processes.

According to our participants, initiatives aimed at encouraging local involvement in tourism are beneficial since big businesses stand to gain more from them. Those involved in tourist planning and management view the advancements made in establishing forums for discussion among various stakeholder groups and inter-institutional cooperation as significant, and these have been essential in producing management policies. Nevertheless, the majority of those we spoke with said that issues and difficulties still exist despite the efforts undertaken to guarantee the sustainability of tourism (Table 3). Many interviewees believe that to address enduring social–environmental issues, it is “crucial to have a shared vision for the Dachen Island”, one that balances the demands of the community with those of a tourist destination.

5. Discussion

The findings of semistructured interviews showed that the stakeholders have a wide consensus on the effective implementation of sustainable tourism development actions in the last 10 years. Respondents provided intriguing answers, and the stakeholders’ opinions confirmed that Dachen Island is successfully implementing a sustainable tourism policy. According to the interview findings, our respondents indicated that the sustainable development on Dachen Island is moderate and needs further improvement. In their research on the stakeholder collaboration for solid waste management on a small tourism island, Koiwanit [65] revealed a lack of understanding of collaboration benefits alongside leadership and reciprocity among stakeholders. Koiwanit [65] advocated for building effective partnerships based on reciprocal advantages and raising stakeholder confidence in light of the proximity. The importance of stakeholder participation in pursuing sustainability was highlighted by Roxas et al. [66]. After identifying the stakeholders and their roles, it is necessary to look into how they interact with one another and, in particular, how this changes their roles and responsibilities and how these interactions can help achieve sustainability.

Our qualitative findings advocate the importance of adopting a responsible tourism approach on Dachen Island. Responsible tourism, a type of tourism that “creates better places for people to live in and for people to visit” has been proposed as a way to move toward sustainable tourism [67,68]; however, Higgins-Desbiolles et al. [69] contend that even this strategy will not be adequate to address all of the effects of growing tourism. They emphasize the necessity of degrowth strategies, especially in places where overtourism is evident. Overtourism has been a regular issue in various tropical tourism areas, when tourists overburden services and amenities, causing difficulty for locals and affecting their wellbeing [70]. Pecot and Ricaurte-Quijano [70] investigated overtourism in the Global South and discovered that the way tourism is managed in the Galapagos is not consistent with an ecotourism paradigm, and indicators of overtourism are present.

According to Baloch et al. [71], the quality of responsible behavior is determined by institutional policies, purpose-built environmentally friendly infrastructure, tourism carrying capacity, community involvement, an interconnected network of diverse tourism support services, destination-specific promotion and growth strategies, human capital development, and tourist satisfaction across the tourism supply chain. Promoting responsible tourist behavior is essential for enhancing sustainable development in tourism destinations [72]. The pandemic outbreak highlighted the vulnerability of small island communities whose economies are based on tourism [73]. Our interviewees expressed concern about their vulnerability due to their reliance on “the outside”, specifically tourism arrivals and food imports from the mainland. Such dependence and diminished occupational diversification may prompt locals to consider opportunities and challenges for long-term growth [7].

According to our respondents, “quality” should be prioritized over “quantity”. This issue is consistent with Hall’s argumentation [74] that “tourism development should promote qualitative development but not aggregate quantitative growth since the latter contributes to the unsustainability of tourist destinations that depend primarily on the well-preserved status of their ecological characteristics” (pp. 131). According to Figueroa and Rotarou [73], increased domestic tourism represents an urgent opportunity for island communities to address the economic demands and to restore locals’ quality of life. Due to concerns about overtourism and its effects, the “growth paradigm” in the tourism sector has been distressing many local communities worldwide [73]. For instance, such concerns are evident in the Galapagos Islands, where tourism is developing too rapidly and scholars called for a change in the tourism paradigm [75]. Although there has been progress in addressing the effects of growing tourism, more work has to be carried out if tourism is to help the islands achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our interview subjects concurred that Dachen Island urgently needs a shared strategy for tourist development to address over-tourism and its related impacts. Graci and Van Vliet [7] that “a shared vision”, “clear leadership”, and the absence of long-term strategic plans are some of the most important obstacles to the sustainable growth of the tourism industry.

The interview findings showed that involving the local community in the decision-making process is essential for enhancing sustainable tourism development on small islands. The extant literature advocates the importance of local community participation in the process of pursuing sustainable tourism [67,76]. Bramwell [76] proposed that destination communities should be involved in tourist planning and governance to achieve sustainability. This view is supported by the community-based tourism approach proposed by Murphy [54]. Researchers underlined the importance of local participation in tourism governance and sustainable development [75,76].

The government plays a crucial role in promoting community empowerment through participatory planning and monitoring, positioning tourism as a “people to people” activity rather than a commodity, developing mechanisms to evaluate destination-based indicators and community monitoring, influencing how local communities perceive tourism and how they can benefit from its activities, shaping the kinds of images that tourists “see” and “expect” about destinations, and creating institutional frameworks to support sustainable destination development [23,77].

Further, our findings advocate the need for community involvement in the decision-making process. The community must actively participate in establishing the visual image of a tourist destination that attracts specific types of tourists [54,76,77]. Salman et al. [55] argued that understanding the existence of different stakeholders with varying interests and degrees of influence is crucial for a tourism destination’s sustainability. The major aim of stakeholder management in the tourist industry is to ensure that project planning and execution do not take place without the involvement of stakeholders, which include organizations, communities, and individuals who are directly affected by the project or have the ability to influence its implementation [78,79]. Furthermore, studies have found that a lack of stakeholder management and engagement in ecotourism destinations leads to a variety of challenges such as destination degradation, reduced monetary benefits, natural resource degradation, and inability to implement destination plans [6,80]. Despite the importance of stakeholder management and management policies in achieving sustainable ecotourism [27], implementing and sustaining ecotourism remains a vital challenge due to the presence of different stakeholders in the destinations. Wu et al. [81] found a direct relationship between emotional solidarity and stakeholders’ attitudes toward perceived economic advantage. Aligning travel goals and motivations positively leads to longer stays at destinations and more in-depth exploration of distinctive and genuine local customs benefiting both local people and visitors [82,83].

6. Implications

This study takes Dachen Island in China as an example of a rapidly developing tourist destination to investigate sustainable tourism development from the stakeholders’ perspective, identify the potential conflicts of interest among stakeholders, and propose some mechanisms to resolve these conflicts. Our findings showed that sustainable tourism is developing effectively on the island of Dachen. Numerous theoretical and practical contributions are anticipated from the current work. Theoretically, by examining the link between each variable in the Chinese tourism sector and aiding in the provision of better explanations for touristic phenomena, this research aims to expand the theory of the stakeholder. Stakeholder theory emphasizes the importance of engaging and balancing the multiple interests of numerous stakeholders involved in the tourism industry, which is particularly relevant when it comes to the development of sustainable tourism on tiny islands. Stakeholders at small island destinations have a significant impact on how tourism develops and how it affects the environment, society, and economy. To guarantee that tourist-related activities contribute to the long-term wellbeing of both the local population and the natural environment, it is necessary to identify and comprehend the requirements, expectations, and concerns of these stakeholders.

From a practical standpoint, this paper aims to provide various recommendations to tourism stakeholders to strengthen their support for the development of sustainable tourism within the Chinese tourism industry. Taken together, our study contends that strategic collaborative involvement among stakeholders is essential for successful sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island. Based on our findings, we argue that achieving sustainable development on Dachen Island as a tourist destination requires developing a shared vision that takes into account the distinct, sometimes competing, requirements and aspirations of various stakeholder groups. Achieving sustainable tourism requires taking stakeholders’ interests into account and comprehending their influence during the development and strategic planning stages of the industry. A successful project would benefit from the synergy created by treating all stakeholders equally in terms of relevance, regard, and equality [84]. Byrd [85] pointed out that determining shared objectives and comprehending the influence of stakeholders is essential to the application of stakeholder theory and they determine how best to manage them. To create strategic management plans, stakeholder management significantly relies on stakeholder theory [86]. Understanding stakeholder management procedures and attaining sustainability can be greatly aided by the application of stakeholder theory. Stakeholder interests, expectations, and power can be identified to improve stakeholder management with the support of stakeholder theory [55]. This study argues that the baseline framework developed by Björk [23] is appropriate for achieving sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island. This framework emphasizes the importance of collaboration among authorities, tourists, enterprises, and locals [23]. Likewise, policymakers are advised to encourage diversification of tourism offerings to reduce pressure on popular attractions and distribute tourist spending more evenly across the island [7].

7. Conclusions, Limitations, and Further Research

This study used Dachen Island as an example of a tourist destination to fulfill three objectives: (1) assess stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainable tourism development using five major sustainability dimensions: economic sustainability, sociocultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, tourism development, and tourism management; (2) explore the major reasons for potential conflicts of interest among stakeholders; and (3) propose conflict resolution mechanisms. Semistructured interviews were conducted to collect data from 29 stakeholders, including locals, visitors, officials, and academics. The findings indicated that sustainable tourism is developing rapidly on Dachen Island, and our respondents showed reasonable satisfaction with the five sustainability dimensions, with an emphasis on the potential for improving sustainable performance in the future. However, locals were less satisfied with economic sustainability than were other stakeholders. The limited conflicts of interest among stakeholders were justified based on the ranking of their perceived priorities.

Our exploratory findings call for adopting responsible tourism and highlight three conflict resolution mechanisms to ensure effective sustainable tourism development on Dachen Island, including the involvement of local communities in decision making, encouraging responsive visitor behavior, and enhancing infrastructure and services. Based on the findings of the semistructured interviews, we may conclude that Dachen Island’s stakeholders are exceedingly optimistic about the future of the tourism industry, and all want to contribute to reinforcing the strengths of the island. We argue that sustainable tourism development on small islands needs to focus on the responsible management of the island, with an emphasis on environmental and cultural heritage, and aims to meet the needs of tourists and the needs of current and future local communities.

This study employed a qualitative research method and used semistructured interviews to collect data from 29 stakeholders. Hence, the generalizability of our findings might be challenged. Given the context-specific nature of our study, further research may apply a mixed research method and use a larger sample. Additionally, the scope of our study was confined to a small island with specific characteristics and a limited number of locals. Hence, similar further research is required to validate or reject our findings.