Vol. 1 No. 4 (2026)
Articles

Formation Mechanisms and Upgrading Paths of Homestay Industry Clusters in the Mountainous Areas of Western Zhejiang

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  • Yutong Shen,
  • Linyao Qiu
Yutong Shen School of Tourism and Urban-Rural Planning, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
Linyao Qiu College of Landscape Architecture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Science, Society and Policy Research, Volume 1, Issue 4, 2026 cover

Published 2026-08-29

Keywords

  • western Zhejiang,
  • homestay clusters,
  • rural tourism,
  • experience economy,
  • upgrading

Copyright (c) 2026 Authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Homestays in the mountainous areas of western Zhejiang have evolved from scattered family businesses into clustered tourism economies shaped by landscape amenities, digital platforms, entrepreneurial imitation and local policy support. This paper analyzes the formation mechanisms of these homestay clusters and discusses why the next stage of development requires quality upgrading rather than continued numerical expansion. Drawing on cluster theory, hospitality studies, the experience economy and rural tourism research, the paper argues that the success of western Zhejiang derives from a combination of attractive ecological settings, metropolitan proximity, pioneer entrepreneurs, online visibility and improvements in public infrastructure. Yet this success has also produced new vulnerabilities, including product homogenization, seasonal demand volatility, uneven service quality and tensions over community benefit distribution. The paper proposes a multidimensional upgrading framework centered on product differentiation, cluster governance, local supply-chain integration, community participation and digital operational capacity. The analysis suggests that the long-term competitiveness of mountain homestay regions depends less on isolated iconic properties than on the ability to build a collaborative and place-sensitive service ecosystem.
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