With the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy,business pattern innovation has become a cru-cial driving force to promote the development of rural tourism.From the perspective of perceptual response,the in-fluence of internal and external environmental factors on the tendency for rural tourism businesses to innovate their business patterns is explored.Taking rural tourism areas or spots as the starting point at the micro level,and based on the research data of Xiangtan City,the empirical analysis is made.The findings show that good perception of ex-ternal conditions by the personnel of rural tourism businesses significantly contributes to the current level and tend-ency of innovation.The study proves the key role of external environmental factors in stimulating innovation in rural tourism,such as market demand,policy support,and competitive dynamics.When operators perceive external envi-ronment to be positive and favorable,they are more likely to invest resources in innovation to adapt to market chan-ges and meet tourists'needs.It also reveals problems such as insufficient motivation for rural tourism patterns inno-vation and mediocre performance of rural specialties in the sample areas,and then puts forward the following sug-gestions:increasing policy support for rural tourism,creating an environment of cooperation,competition and mar-ket innovation,enhancing operational efficiency,and strengthening the guidance of rural specialties and the cultiva-tion of their advantages.