Search

Small tourism firms (STFs) established and operated by local families can be an engine of sustainable rural tourism. This paper stresses the intimate intertwining of family and business in rural STFs and conceptualizes their entrepreneurial success as a combination of business performance and family well-being. Integrating the resource-based view and network embeddedness theory, relationships among the STF owners’ dual social networks (family and industry networks), entrepreneurial resource acquisition, and entrepreneurial success are proposed and tested with a sample of 276 STFs in rural China. The empirical analyses reveal that (1) compared with tangible and knowledge-based resources, the owners’ acquisition of psychic resources has the strongest effect on entrepreneurial success; and (2) although industry networks provide more diverse access to entrepreneurial resources, family networks are superior in facilitating psychic resource acquisition, thus are especially important to the entrepreneurial success of rural STFs. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Family travel with aging parents has emerged as a growing market in China. This study applies social practice theory to examine family travel practices and related sociocultural factors. Qualitative interviews with 23 families were conducted to identify parents’ and adult children’s subjective experiences of intergenerational differences and action logics throughout the trip. The findings reveal that, because of urban-rural distinctions, the two generations have differing travel habits, preferences, and capabilities, which foster interdependency but also induce tensions. Influenced by reciprocal filial piety, both generations feel obligated to make compromises and gratify the other’s needs to fulfill their desirable prospects of family travel. The urban-rural distinctions are gradually resolved as the ongoing negotiations unfold. This study advances existing research by integrating the zooming-in and zooming-out lenses of practice theory to highlight the interplay between family travel practices and wider social structures.

The reproduction of social relationships in a rural tourism destination is examined through a micro-sociological lens that explores residents’ everyday interactions. Interaction ritual theory is adopted as the theoretical foundation. Zhinan, a mountainous village in Hangzhou, China, which initiated tourism in 2014, is the study site. Two rounds of focus groups and interviews were conducted with village residents. Qualitative inquiry shows that, under the influence of tourism, residents’ daily interactions consist of three interaction rituals, that is, rural living rituals, tourism operation rituals, and event and festival rituals. Due to the distinct ingredients, these rituals unfold differentially and engage different social actors. They complement each other in the co-construction of rural social relationships that have symbolic, emotional, collective, and normative connotations. This study provides in-depth, contextualized understandings of rural residents’ interactions and relationships, and draws practical implications for sustainable development of rural tourism destinations.

The influence of visiting Buddhist heritage sites on happiness is the core concern of this article. China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains provided the setting for the study. Sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the positive effects of Buddhism on visitors. Thematic analysis was first undertaken to understand the Buddhism-induced happiness. In the terms of Buddhism, the visitors’ happiness was related to the law of karma, impermanence and reincarnation. The PERMA model from positive psychology was then utilized as a second interpretive framework, in which positive changes in visitors’ attitudes, behaviours and life were noted. The links between the core values of Buddhism and the PERMA model were then established and portrayed. The study makes a theoretical contribution by connecting the positive psychology constructs and the effects of Buddhism in the tourism context. In addition, this study provides insightful suggestions for local communities to manage religious heritage sites sustainably.

Narrative communities consist of closely interacting participants who frequently discuss their views of the world. The aims of this study were to establish the credibility of using a narrative community approach to the recreational vehicle (RV) market and, if appropriate, both identify common themes in the public discourse and direct attention to sensitive issues which those seeking to influence this market need to consider. Primary data were collected in Australia through focus groups at a typical regional RV rally site. This material was supplemented by close study of the main membership magazine produced for the target group. The researchers were able to confirm the applicability of the narrative community approach through noting the frequent repetition of symbolic stories, recurring phrases and highly favoured topics. The extended focus group conversations and the supplementary materials revealed six highly consistent themes binding the perspectives of the RV tourists. The celebrated common concerns were enjoying a new family, safety, freedom, health and living economically while contributing to the communities visited. This commonality was seen as constituting enthusiastic advocacy for RV travel and opens lines of communication for those seeking to influence RV users.

Entertainment is a feature of some tourism settings and acts as a key pull factor for visiting certain destinations. Research-based studies about entertainment and the tourist experience are, however, rather limited. This study pursued this research opportunity and explored international tourists’ experiences in an iconic performance-based entertainment, the Impression Sanjie Liu in southern China. More than 350 tourists’ spontaneous reviews posted on TripAdvisor were analyzed through Leximancer software. It was found that international tourists were generally positive toward the culturally distinctive style of the entertainment. Despite the challenge of comprehending meanings and the language, they were impressed with the grand spectacle, the performances of many people, and the context. The disruptive behavior of other tourists, particularly the domestic Chinese tourists, troubled some international tourists. Implications for both academic research and the tourism entertainment industry are offered.

Chinese tourists, who are increasingly traveling out of Asia independently, need trustworthy and readily available information sources. This study explores the motives of Chinese tourists who have invested considerable time (mostly more than a week) in creating information-rich, influential, and interactive online travel blogs—effectively creating personalized little “Lonely Planets” that serve these growing information needs. This study assesses the demographic characteristics of the “Lonely Planets” creators, the features of their blogging behavior, and the motivations for the involvement. It reveals six motive categories: “positive self-enhancement through online social connection,” “altruism: being helpful to fellow travelers,” “social status issues,” “personal status and achievement,” “self-documentation and sharing,” and “hedonic enjoyment of blogging.” Superficially, these motivations seem to be similar with previous Western studies of blogging behavior, but significant contextual and cultural issues exist and are explained. Management implications and future research arising from the current study are provided.

A new group of participants, young, independent, technology empowered Chinese tourists, are entering the international recreational vehicle (RV) drive market. This study addressed three research questions: Who are they? Why do they travel in this style? Where do they go? Netnography was undertaken as the research approach. The findings were contextualized by comparison with existing knowledge about mature RV users (e.g., Grey Nomads, Snowbirds, and retirees). It was found that the Chinese RV tourists share some commonalities with the mature RV market. The differences, however, were also substantial. Implications for other markets and destinations in developing the international driving market are offered. Furthermore, the use of netnography to offer insights to understand new markets and/or new activities is highlighted.

The present study uses accessible online and emic material as a window to approach the assessment of tourists’ experiences at a small themed tourist attraction. The research adopts the approach of seeing experiences as an orchestrated model of interacting elements that are linked to expressive and instrumental components. The study then seeks to identify the dominant concepts and phrases used by tourists in reporting their attraction visit. Further aims include examining how tourists with different overall evaluations of their experiences and from different origins respond to the attraction. Using Leximancer analysis, the work explores the linkages among 167 tourists’ reviews of the site in terms of reacting to the theme and reporting expressive and instrumental evaluations. The work confirms the value of the approach, establishes the power of the attraction’s theme, and builds a pathway for experience evaluation studies linked to expressive and instrumental attributes.

Chinese outbound tourists are pivotal global players in current international tourism. Their anticipated role in taking up new activities in the future warrants attention. This study focused on one emerging activity—drive tourism—as a model of the ways to manage the growth of new specialist interests. In detail, it examined Chinese recreational vehicle (RV) tourists’ self-reported safety concerns during their Australian RV trips. The study identified the successful coping mechanisms that Chinese tourists employ across the preparation, initial familiarity, and driving stages of their travels. A holistic safety and coping framework outlining 18 coping techniques was identified. The study revealed the symbiosis between tourists, tourism businesses, and associated organizations that can lead to positive behaviors to enhance safe and enjoyable experiences as new markets adopt novel activities in unfamiliar countries.

This study reviews tourism research in and about Tibet, China. The work uses a bibliometric approach and seeks to compare domestic tourism research with a Tibetan focus to the overall Chinese efforts in tourism study. International scholarly activities pertaining to Tibet were also considered. The approach follows Hsu et al. (2010) and offers a model for assessing tourism studies in many developing regions and destinations. Key topics for analysis included such factors as time lines, disciplinary approaches, study themes, data collection techniques, tools of analysis, and authorship patterns. In the Tibetan case a pragmatic, macro-level and applied approach to research was identified. Opportunities exist for more small-scale studies of tourism businesses, further analysis of the politics inherent in tourism strategies, more work on the tourism issues in the main destination of Lhasa, better national and international cooperation and the application of more refined statistical and interpretive techniques.