Examining the Effect of Wellness Tourism Policies on Households' Income Status: An Empirical Study in Rural China

Following the policy "Health China 2030" issued by the Chinese central government in 2016, wellness tourism has become one of the key strategic industries in China. Although the central government emphasizes strengthening rural revitalization through the wellness tourism industry, there is a lack of research on the impact of relevant policies on improving rural households' income. This research mainly aims to explore the influence of wellness tourism policies on rural households' income status in China. By using quantitative research methods, this study selected five datasets from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 with 51,377 samples to examine the effect of wellness tourism policy on the income status of rural households in China by using the difference in difference analytical technique. Results indicated that the average income of rural residents has seen a 4.6% increase. However, through heterogeneity analysis, this study found that the income improvement achieved by rural residents in the four major economic regions through wellness tourism policies is not completely consistent, and the level of rural economic development in each province and the nature of work of rural residents will also affect the income improvement brought about by the policy.

Integrating insights from all research results, this study concludes that China's wellness tourism policy could significantly enhance rural households' income levels. Therefore, in order to implement policies more effectively and improve rural residents' income status, policymakers should consider the implementation effects of relevant policies in different regions, avoid a one-size-fits-all approach, and support rural wellness tourism SMEs in a targeted manner.