Abstract: Under the background of rural revitalization and cultural routes, this paper adopts the research methods of field investigation, questionnaire survey, on-site measurement and literature review, along with the connotation of rural revitalization and cultural routes, to construct the rural revitalization method guided by tourism development. It proposes co-development of tourism industry, improvement of human settlement environment and rural governance, coupled with the integrity and continuity of cultural routes. It focuses on the revitalization of Nanping Village on the Gaidong cultural route, analyzing of the current situation. This paper obtains the mode of the linkage development of ancient roads, ancient villages and greenways in the development of tourism industry, and demonstrates coordinated development of industrial chain on the basis of ecological agriculture. It proposes to improve human settlement environment for sustainable development on the basis of optimization and perfection of living environments, public buildings and supporting facilities with the integration of natural environment. To realize the continuity of rural revitalization, it offers to improve the overall development of rural governance and protection through self-governance and co-governance. This paper innovatively puts forward the framework of coupling development of rural revitalization and cultural routes, and studies rural revival and development of Nanping Village in combination with the characteristics of the cultural route of Gaidong historical trail. Through analysis of the effect of the revitalization of Nanping Village in recent years, it verifies the value of this study.