The motivation of the Chinese post-90s generation for travelling abroad

<p>There is well-documented research on tourism motivation in tourism literature. But till now, there is limited research of tourist motivation on Chinese youth travel group, who is so-called the Chinese post-90s generation. They are unique compared to other generations in China and has gradually been a group that received great public attention. Their thoughts and behaviours are bearing the brand of the Chinese era and also showing the characteristics of the modern Chinese generation. Therefore, this study based on the Chinese social background investigates Chinese youth tourists’ motivation for travelling abroad, focusing on the Chinese post-90s generation. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among Chinese post-90s generation who came from major cities in China and had at least one or more overseas experiences. The research finds that the important motivational factors influencing the Chinese post-90s generation’s overseas travel include: self-development and relationship; novelty; escape and relaxation. Besides, this research finds that social variables which reflect China’s social changes have significant impacts on the Chinese youth tourists’ overseas travel motivation. These findings not only complement the deficiencies of the existing research on the tourist motivation of Chinese travellers but also provide important reference about Chinese youth tourism for tourism marketers and stakeholders who will deal with this potential tourism market.</p>

The motivation of the Chinese post-90s generation for travelling abroad

<p>There is well-documented research on tourism motivation in tourism literature. But till now, there is limited research of tourist motivation on Chinese youth travel group, who is so-called the Chinese post-90s generation. They are unique compared to other generations in China and has gradually been a group that received great public attention. Their thoughts and behaviours are bearing the brand of the Chinese era and also showing the characteristics of the modern Chinese generation. Therefore, this study based on the Chinese social background investigates Chinese youth tourists’ motivation for travelling abroad, focusing on the Chinese post-90s generation. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among Chinese post-90s generation who came from major cities in China and had at least one or more overseas experiences. The research finds that the important motivational factors influencing the Chinese post-90s generation’s overseas travel include: self-development and relationship; novelty; escape and relaxation. Besides, this research finds that social variables which reflect China’s social changes have significant impacts on the Chinese youth tourists’ overseas travel motivation. These findings not only complement the deficiencies of the existing research on the tourist motivation of Chinese travellers but also provide important reference about Chinese youth tourism for tourism marketers and stakeholders who will deal with this potential tourism market.</p>

Sun, Sand and Submachine Guns: Tourism in a Militarized Xinjiang, China

In recent years, domestic tourism into the Xinjiang region of China has grown rapidly. Government officials view tourism as a source of both economic capital and social stability, presenting a normalcy that makes it attractive for investment. There are two paradoxes to Xinjiang tourism. According to most literature, a massive military presence should deter tourists, but numbers have continued to grow in the militarized Xinjiang region. Second, the cultural “otherness” of Xinjiang is a big draw to the region, yet this culture is being suppressed by state policies to contain Islam. Using a dataset of Han Chinese travel diaries, I look at how narrated tourist experiences of Xinjiang justify policing, how ethnic boundaries are reinforced by practices in both transportation and personal interaction, and how state policies influence Chinese travellers’ views on the authenticity of their experience. While bodily assurances of security substantiate political legitimacy, tourists resist the bureaucratic management of sites, allowing for critiques focused almost exclusively on aesthetic taste.

COVID-19: potential effects on Chinese citizens’ lifestyle and travel

Purpose The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is projected to have adverse consequences on the global tourism and hospitality industry. This paper aims to examine how the outbreak may alter Chinese tourists’ lifestyle choices, travel behaviour and tourism preferences in the short and long term. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on the synthesis of news broadcasted by several media outlets to be supported by an overview of the related literature on tourism marketing, tourism management and tourist behaviour. The authors’ experiences investigating trends in tourism and hospitality at the local and international level have also contributed to the study. Findings This paper predicts that COVID-19 will likely affect Chinese travellers’ consumption patterns, such as the growing popularity of free and independent travel, luxury trips and health and wellness tourism. New forms of tourism including slow tourism and smart tourism may also drive future tourism activities. Such changes are likely to force businesses to reconsider their service designs and distribution channels. Research limitations/implications While Chinese and other potential visitors rethink how they travel, professionals, too, should reflect upon how to bring positive or negative changes to the tourism industry following this pandemic. Subsequent research should also consider how to mitigate the effects of similar public health crises in the future. Practical implications Recommendations for industry practitioners and policymakers focus on tailoring travel arrangements to tourists’ backgrounds. The suggestions may help to alleviate outbreak-related stress, offer travellers newly enriching experiences and partially mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the tourism and hospitality industry. These recommendations can also apply more broadly to global tourist markets. Social implications The COVID-19 outbreak has already brought significant impacts to nearly every society and industry. Tourism scholars and practitioners should carefully consider this tragedy and how it may inform industry and social practices. This and other public health crises represent sterling opportunities to view the industry holistically in terms of its effects on the environment, climate and travellers themselves. Originality/value This paper presumably represents a frontier study, critically examining the possible impacts of COVID-19 on Chinese travellers’ consumption patterns and how the tourism and hospitality industry may respond to such changes in the future.

Group trip planning and information seeking behaviours by mobile social media users: A study of tourists in Australia, Bangladesh and China

Social media plays an increasingly important role in travel information seeking and decision-making. However, there is limited understanding of how a group of tourists use social media to plan trips collaboratively and the different practices between countries. In this study, we investigated the collaborative information seeking (CIS) and sharing behaviours of mobile social media users from Australia, Bangladesh and China. Specifically, we surveyed a total of 219 participants to explore the differences in CIS behaviours when people were planning a group trip. The findings suggest significant differences among three countries in terms of the motivations of using social media, CIS activities and social interactions outside the group. Key findings include Bangladeshi and Chinese travellers preferred known contacts on social media, while Australian tourists intended to use both known contacts and user-generated contents for seeking information. The findings also show that social interactions employed by individuals are considered as an important complement of and are interwoven with in-group CIS; both contribute to tourism information seeking. Finally, we propose a framework for CIS research in the tourism domain.

Performing love, prosperity and Chinese hipsterism: Young independent travellers in Pai, Thailand

Young independent Chinese travellers are increasingly visiting Pai, a small town in northern Thailand, in part influenced by the popularity of the 2009 Thai movie Pai in Love. Using a performance perspective, combined with theory on affordances, which have not yet been applied in the growing body of research on Chinese tourists, this article examines the wide variety of performances in Pai by young independent Chinese travellers, many of which revolve around tourist photography. Drawing upon participant observation and in-depth interviews with Chinese travellers in Pai, the findings reveal that many young Chinese independent traveller performances in Pai revolve around the creation of online self-identities of prosperity and globalisation, love and alternative social identities such as Chinese hipsterism or Xiao Qing Xin. Central to many of these hybrid performances is the digital camera, which affords new, more playful, embodied ways of encountering and interacting with tourist attractions, while simultaneously offering a means of recording and refining performances that are then distributed via the ‘statusphere’. The article’s use of a performance lens provides new insights into Chinese tourism consumption, and highlights the importance of physical, material and social affordances in performing tourism.

Arsacid Cities in the Hanshu and Houhanshu

In the reports of Chinese travellers submitted to the Emperors, they mentioned the places they had visited or heard of. Although some scholars have tried to identify these Chinese names as specific places in the Iranian Plateau and its bordering plains, their locations are still somewhat vague and debatable. This article discusses the place-names mentioned in Chinese sources and attempts to verify that they could have denoted the localities along the ancient Great Khorasan Road and other routes, which were once the main sections of the Silk Road. Among them, the route that Chinese traveller Gan Ying might have passed before he reached the western frontier of the Arsacid Empire will also be discussed in this study.