Abstract: The development of ecotourism through community participation can not only enhance the engagement and sense of belonging of local residents in ecotourism activities, but also strengthen their recognition and support for ecotourism, ultimately fostering harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Taking the Xiaoxiangling area of the Giant Panda National Park as a case, we employed a combination of questionnaires and interviews to assess the current status of local ecotourism development and residents’ perceptions of ethnic culture, economic factors, and their willingness to participate in the development. At present, the residents’ participation in ecotourism in the study area is relatively low, with limited benefits. Ethnic culture perception significantly and positively influenced residents’ willingness to participate, with a path coefficient of 0.30 (P<0.01). Economic perception also significantly and positively affected residents’ willingness to participate, with a path coefficient of 0.65 (P<0.001). Additionally, economic perception partially mediated the positive impact of ethnic cultural perception on willingness to participate, with a mediating effect of 0.43 (P<0.01). To enhance residents’ willingness to participate, we recommend interventions in three key aspects: integrating ethnic culture into ecotourism, optimizing tourism products, and providing professional training. These recommendations would contribute to the sustainable development of national park and serve as a valuable reference for future initiatives.

Key words: ecotourism, community participation, economic perception, ethnic cultural perception, willingness to participate