Abstract: Based on the life cycle theory of tourism destination, the paper made a case study on rural tourism development Xinyang Haotang village. The data from questionnaires were analyzed using the method of factor analysis to obtain the satisfacition level of tourists and determine at which stage of life cycle the tourism destination is and finally the paper put forward some suggetions on its growth. The following results are obtained from the study. Firstly, judging the life cycle of a tourism destination is the key to determining its healthy growth and its growth trend; secondly, rural tourism destination of Haotang village is in the transitional phase of start-up stage and development stage, and appropriate measures should be taken to promote its growth; thirdly, apart from the product characteristics in tourism area, the number of tourists and tourism revenue, the main criterion to determine the life cycle of rural tourism is the satisfaction level of tourists; and lastly, factors affecting the growth of rural tourism include traffic, tour experience, dining experience, scenic interpersonal relationships and environmental health.