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This study furnishes a value-oriented paradigm, illustrating the impact of perceived value of tourism-induced change on life satisfaction and value co-creation. Adopting PLS-SEM to analyze data from 535 residents of Jiuzhai Valley, this study reveals that material perceived values (economic and functional) influence life satisfaction; non-material perceived values (social and cultural) have stronger impacts on value co-creation than material perceived values; material perceived value influence value co-creation through the mediation of life satisfaction. This study enriches the literature by integrating personal value judgments with social representation theory to assess how intrinsic values-determined perceived value influences residents' extra-role value co-creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the attitudes of 854 respondents arriving in Macau from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The study examines (1) to what extent are there differences in perceived destination attractiveness, destination value and satisfaction between these three groups, (2) is there evidence of intra-ethnic differences and similarities? A multi-dimensional model is analysed using partial least square analysis accompanied by multi-group analysis. The findings demonstrate that intra-cultural variation can exist within a similar Chinese ethnic background, based in part on differing attitudes toward symbolic values. In short, the Chinese ethnic groups evidence intra-group differences, but it is suggested that these differences are explained by factors other than culture. This study contributes to research on intra-ethnicity/cultural variation. The conceptual and managerial implications are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study examines the evolution of China's border tourism policies based on the case of Xishuangbanna. Findings show a three-stage policy evolution, namely bottom-up promotion of tourism (the 1990s), inhibition of tourism (the 2000s), and reposition of tourism within broad national contexts (the 2010s). The lei motif behind such policies lies in a pragmatism born of the need to achieve economic growth via border openness and border security. It suggests that the Belt and Road Initiative is a continuation of policies that date back to China's "Opening-up" and tourism is consistent contributor to policy evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xi Jinping has set the goal of eliminating rural poverty in China by 2020. One critical component if this target is to be achieved is the effectiveness of village tourist committees, and the article reports findings from a study of social networks and their operation in five Shandong villages. Using both thematic and social network analysis, the networks are shown to be diffuse and dependent on familial circles and wider guanxi possessed by key actors. However, the findings indicate how these networks are being extended beyond the village into the higher echelons of provincial administration while also illustrating the importance of socio-biological ties as defined by Hamilton, Fennell, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hiking has emerged as an activity growing in popularity. One reason lies in the significant investment being made in hiking trails by the Chinese government, while equally many Chinese find hiking attractive because trail construction permits safe hiking and high levels of social interaction. This study of 579 Chinese hikers on trails in Ningbo, Zhejiang, uses multinomial logistic regression analysis to ascertain their motives based on responses to questionnaires. The questionnaire were premised on concepts derived from the Leisure Motivation and Satisfaction Scales devised by Beard and Ragheb as amended by direct observation of Chinese hiking behaviours. It was found that while Chinese interpret some items differently to their Western counterparts it was possible to use many of the items. The primary motivations appear to value social interaction and perceived health benefits. Recommendations are made for potential management action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hongcun, an ancient village in Anhui in China, is an UNESCO-gazetted village because of its Huizhou architecture. It attracts over 1.6 million visitors per annum. Based upon a simple spatial model, the results of this study indicate that its social carrying capacity is being vastly exceeded, and the consequences are discussed in terms of the impacts on village life using data derived from a survey of residents. In terms of addressing the issues of crowding, it is suggested that a number of future choices face the village, ranging from the imposition of quotas on visitation to sustain and protect its UNESCO status by significantly reducing overcrowding, or alternatively, to embrace mass tourism to become akin to a theme park that is based on Huizhou culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the career of a professor at School of Hospitality Management at Beijing International Studies University Huimin (Grace) Gu, in the hospitality and tourism industry in China. Particular focus is given to topics including the establishment of courses for tourism economics in China, her educational career, and her contribution towards the development of China's hotel industry.

The paper serves as an introduction to this special issue reporting research findings previously published in China's leading tourism journal, Tourism Tribune . It describes the origins of the initial decision to undertake the project, the difficulties experienced, but more importantly comments on the papers. Such comments draw attention to the different traditions of tourism between the West and China, to the role of the Chinese government in the development of tourism, to the role of tourism itself in Chinese policy and the implicit challenges tourism presents as people increasingly see the taking of holidays as part of the ‘new normal’ of Chinese life under Xi's ‘Chinese Dream’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a limited brand presence and other issues, many Chinese second and third tier cities find it hard to compete with larger cities to attract, host, and promote mega-events. The purpose of this study is to understand the gap between the large and medium-sized cities and find how the smaller cities may develop their own product potential in the MICE market. The article reports results from a qualitative research study based on interviews with 40 business attendees from three medium-sized cities of Zhejiang Province, China. The results indicated a series of related dimensions, but a new pattern of "hosting capability" can be discerned whereby business attendees are aware of the product offered by the smaller-sized cities but perceive that their competitive advantage is weak, primarily due to a poor brand presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there exists an abundant literature on the way religious sites deal with tourists, little has been written specifically on how Buddhist monasteries visited by large numbers of believers and nonbelievers strive to preserve their physical fabric and atmosphere of sanctity. This article describes and analyzes how the resident monastic orders of Pu-Tuo-Shan, China, protect their monasteries and nunneries and maintain their lifestyle of prayer and meditation while hosting nearly six million visitors a year. The findings, based on observation and grounded research methods, reveal the use of “soft” visitor management techniques inspired by the spirit of Buddhism. It is also found that the visitors are classified by the monks and nuns into three categories, one of which—not the tourists—is more problematic, namely the Xianke, or “incense burners.” It is concluded that currently these methods are effective, although growing numbers pose an increasing challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Set against the background of China's changing economy and its rapid rise as a major tourism provider, this paper examines the development of tourism, and tourism policies, in Kanas (Xinjiang), an ethnic inhabited scenic area in north-western China which has seen visitor numbers rise from c. 800 to c. 1 million annually from 1990 to 2013. It uses the first four stages of Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle model (TALC) as a framework, analysing governments' role in policy-making and implementation, and the tensions and conflicts at each TALC stage. It finds that the TALC is a useful analytical framework in China, despite its command economy, and governments' multiple roles in tourism development. The position of cultural heritage and the characteristics of the Tuva and Kazakh ethnic minority peoples in tourism in Kanas are critically examined, as is China's concept of social harmony and progress. Social harmony is compared - and contrasted - with the emerging concept of the Just Destination in destination planning and management. The minorities are found to be weak in knowledge, capital and bargaining power, but the relationships involved are complex and still evolving. The paper is one of a JOST series on China's new tourism management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This research aims to explore how outsider entrepreneurs maintain harmonious guanxi with stakeholders (especially the government) in an ethnic minority area of less-developed western China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is derived from an ethnographic study undertaken by the first author who lived for 12 consecutive months in the case area. Findings – This research indicates that outsider entrepreneurs need to balance between standards required by industry associations and sound “guanxi”, between bureaucratic arrangements and business practice, between economic profit and lifestyle within a guanxi-dominated society. It may be argued that the continuance of relationships represents the continuance of resources and benefits and the maintenance of social and political capital. Practical implications – One issue in the relationship with local governments is the question to what degree politicians can influence enterprises’ business? Political guanxi is thus an important key to any understanding of the local political scene. In China, the Chinese philosophy that Harmony is the most precious is a strategy often adopted in mediation and operation. Originality/value – Factors including guanxi, entrepreneurs’ operation motivations, government-directed political system, indigenous people and culture and Butler’s tourism area life cycle (TALC) model are considered in the discussion. This study expands the knowledge pertaining to hostels in China in relation to their interaction with local governments and locals to maintain a good guanxi. It highlights the multiple dimensions of guanxi in terms of micro-and macro-perspectives with reference to functionality and cultural requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term and role of a “culture broker” is examined based on the definition provided by Smith and ethnographic research of 12 months of living among the Tuva and Kazakh residents in Kanas, Xinjiang, China. Here it is suggested that Kazakhs operate as a culture broker by impersonating Tuva in Home Visits. A series of symbiotic relationships are found where stakeholders condone such impersonation to achieve different ends – these stakeholders and goals being identified in the paper. Amendments are consequently proposed to Smith's original model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports an analysis derived from a sample of 640 respondents visiting the Buddhist site of Putuoshan that is sacred to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara. Drawing on literature and observation over a 12-month period, the article adopts a fourfold designation of visitors:Xiankes,Sushi, Sightseers, and Cultural/Heritage Visitors. Three scales are developed and exploratory factor analysis supports distinctions between the clusters with reference to motives, activities and beliefs, and the categorization is supported by logistic regression analysis. The findings are discussed in the context of destination management with reference to two considerations—namely: (a) sites of religious importance often possess secular as well as religious significance; and (b) the numbers of tourists appear to be growing, thereby raising concerns of future negative tourism impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ethnic or indigenous tourism has attracted significant academic research, but with the exception of Taiwan''s minorities much of the research in the English language journals has been dominated by the perspective of western tourists gazing upon the minorities. Additionally such studies have tended to be quantitative in nature. This paper studies the attitudes of Han tourists towards the Tuva minority of Kanas Scenic Area and reports results derived from 650 respondents. Equivalencies with western-based research are found, with about only 11 per cent of tourists having any significant interest in minority cultures, although evidence exists that Tuva and their Kazakh neighbours contribute to destination image as figures in the landscape – a landscape that is attractive to Han tourists for aesthetic and relaxation reasons. However, while simpler analysis is found to be effective in creating clusters, a causal model fails due to issues of auto-correlation and multi-collinearity, which problems may be pertinent in other studies that report the gaze of a majority on the culture of the minority. The implications of both findings and research method are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is based upon 12 months of ethnographic study while living among the Tuva and Kazakh people in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Based on observation, interviews, participation and secondary documents the paper uses Coser''s theory of Social Conflict to suggest a four part model of how tourism engenders different forms of social conflict and fluctuating alliances between stakeholders in an environment where tourism has been introduced by agents external to the indigenous community. The actors are ethnic groupings and members of those groups, governmental officials at local, regional and national level, intermediaries of the tourism industry and private sector entrepreneurs drawn from the majority and minority ethnic groups. Tensions are identified as being based on beliefs, resources and power, and a sequential pattern of primacy is identified consistent with stages of the tourist area life cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It has been contended that a link exists between films and the creation of tourist locations. A film can have an unintended consequence that leads to community actions and subsequent policy initiatives that are supportive of conservation of potential tourism cultural assets. This article analyses the processes by which one such film created a heightened awareness of the heritage values of a location setting in Hong Kong that led to changes in public policy. This case study highlights media’s role in shaping and changing public opinion. It examines through framing analysis the way in which public debate changed, thereby highlighting the way in which conservation activists and other stakeholders played out competing roles and the manner in which they sought to influence media coverage of the site. The article also points out the need to establish a set of consistent standards of conserving heritage sites rather than relying on a film to be the “savior.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes the structure and challenges facing the domestic Chinese hotel industry at the start of the second decade of the twenty-first century. It notes the progress that has been made and the increasing internationalization of the industry and Chinese chains as they commence to raise capital overseas and begin a period of mergers and acquisitions of foreign based chains. An analysis of the balance between demand and supply is provided for different cities throughout China. The challenges facing the Chinese domestic industry and for foreign chains operating in China are classified and a commentary is provided for each of these categorisations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The role of Pro-Poor Tourism has been increasingly studied in China since the 1990s. The research has addressed a broad range of key issues such as the implication of “ fu pin lv you ” (or TAP to use an English acronym arising from the translation ‘Tourism-Assisting the Poor’), governmental roles, local participation and the contribution of rural, natural and cultural resources to TAP. However, there has been a lack of research in some areas such as in the micro-economics of TAP targeting local poor people, quantitative research, case studies and anthropological analysis. This paper reviews Chinese academic literature on pro-poor tourism to provide a clearer picture of current practice and progress in TAP policies and research in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports results from comparative studies of residents and businesses in Shi Cha Hai Hutong, Beijing, for 2006 and 2008. The study illustrates the speed and scale of tourism development in China and is based on the global literature describing social, economic, environmental and cultural impacts of tourism as well as place attachment and identity. The 2006 sample comprised 400 residents, while the 2008 sample had 352; in both years, approximately 40 business managers and owners were interviewed. Results show that while businesses welcome tourism, residents are more ambiguous in their response patterns, which are characterized by “desirable” response sets, to some extent an unwillingness to criticize planning authorities and a sense that many respondents have little say in planning processes. Nonetheless, contrary to Doxey's Irridex model, the passing of time brings greater tolerance of tourism – a conclusion based in part on findings derived from a cluster analysis. It is noted that other factors also impinge on the Hutong, including a process of gentrification. Two key suggestions emerge, namely (1) city-based tourism research can be more closely linked with that of urban planning, and (2) processes of urban gentrification must be incorporated into the Butler model of destination evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article is based on a survey of 493 visitors to Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’an, China. The purpose of the research was to assess attitudes toward the exhibitions and the sources of visitor satisfaction, and the consequences of a free entry policy adopted by the Museum in response to the directive of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and State Administration of Cultural Heritage of January 23, 2008. Three dimensions for visitor satisfaction were found—an affective reaction to the modes of presentation, a cognitive reaction to learning about Chinese history, and an affective reaction of a sense of awe and pride in that history. As part of the pricing policy, additional charges are made for special exhibitions, and evidence exists of a consumer surplus for significant groups of visitors at current entry prices that are normally 20 RMB. In this article the authors discussed issues related to a need to adopt merchandising, the provision of better ancillary services, and the role that such services can play in enhancing visitor satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports findings derived from a sample of 357 questionnaires that were self-completed by respondents after a visit to the Taoist village of Qiyunshan. The village has a heritage of several hundred years as a Taoist pilgrimage site and in 2003 it was opened to the wider world through the construction of a cable car that takes visitors directly to the village. The main attractions are the scenic areas, the Taoist tradition, the residents, and a sense of harmony between place, people, and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Based on a sample of 257 Chinese hotel managers, this paper examines the ethical principles to which these managers adhered. The premise is that any application of the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) will be facilitated or inhibited by the degree to which management holds to a strong ethical stance. Developing a questionnaire derived from different sources such as the Forsyth Ethics Position Questionnaire and the 12 golden standards of Tao Zhugong developed in the 5th century BCE, a principal components analysis of the scores on a 35 item scale indicated five components to ethical perspectives: namely respect for individuals, tolerance of degree of relativity in moral standards, the role of corporations in current society, expediency in business and adherence to CSR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With more visas being granted and application processes streamlined, more Chinese students are studying abroad. These students have an influential and continuing effect on the host country's tourism industry over and above their own education-related activities and expenditures because they attract family members and friends to visit the countries where they study. Unfortunately, the research on the role of Chinese students as hosts for overseas travel is quite limited. Therefore, this paper provides some insights into this issue by looking at the influence of students' satisfaction on their role as hosts for the friends and family sector while also providing some data on the students' own holiday motives and assessments of New Zealand. The data were derived from 504 self-completed surveys by Chinese students from four universities in North Island, New Zealand. Evidence was found of students fulfilling a number of roles as guides, sources of information and acting as hosts, but the relationships between their own holiday experiences and satisfaction and the degree to which they fulfilled these roles was weak at best, indicating, therefore, the importance of other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In China, sites categorised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites are commonly used as a means of economic regeneration through tourism development. This study is of a recent addition to the list, the diaolou (fortified tower houses) of Kaiping, Guangdong, in South China. This rural zone, characterised by past emigration and farming, is in the early stages of tourism development. The study, based on interviews and a survey, permits findings to be compared with other rural areas in China such as Hungcun and the Tangyue Arches of Bao Village in Anhui, and thus while similarities in attitudes are found, in Kaiping differences exist whereby tourism has been found to permit entrepreneurial activities while retaining an agricultural base as the 'new tourism rich' employ others to continue farming. The work is contextualised within a model of evolving literature related to tourism impacts on communities. The paper explores a range of issues in sustainable tourism, including the use of tourism as a tool for social, economic and cultural development, holistic approaches to heritage tourism, and the development of glocalisation as a response to globalisation. It discusses differences in approach to heritage tourism, cultural change and commodification between western and Chinese scholars and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper reports results from a survey of urban and rural residents’ of the perceived impacts of change induced by tourism in Ankang, China. The paper will initially indicate the literature that informed the research and the geographical context of the study. Second, results derived from a questionnaire that incorporated both open-ended and closed questions will be presented. The concepts that informed the research were derived from past similar studies, place attachment and senses of modernity. Initial analysis showed no differences between urban and rural residents, both on impact assessment scales and categorical data derived from the coding of responses to open-ended questions. Overall it was found that residents had favourable attitudes toward tourism. The use of comparison based likelihood ratios did reveal some nuanced differences between ‘high’ and ‘low scorers’ relating to the issues of economic development and pollution independent of place of residence but based on a sense of that place of residence being ‘special’. The total number of respondents was 474. Implications for future studies are discussed and include comments on the need for direct contact and observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of China Tourism Research is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper seeks to address two specific questions. First, does the existence of polluted waters impact on the levels of satisfaction experienced by visitors to Chinese lakes? Second, does the local tourism industry (represented by a sample of hotel managers) correctly assess the importance of place attributes as assessed by visitors? The data presented are obtained from a sample of 913 visitors to four polluted lakes that are holiday or day visit locations and from 121 managers of hotels in those same areas. The evidence suggests that polluted areas can still function successfully as tourist locations because visitors in these instances view the lakescapes as part of a wider attraction that includes a built environment but that the hotel industry over-emphasises the importance of that built structure as a contributor to tourist place experience. Limitations to the research include the role played by an aesthetic gaze, which may have more importance within a Chinese culture than among Western counterparts because, particularly for the older Chinese, concepts of harmonization with nature are directed through the visual senses and references to classical literature rather than physical participation in water-based sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an interpretation of competing legitimacies at the 2007 4th Annual Wutaishan Buddhist Festival in Taihua, Shanxi Province. It suggests how spectacle, entertainment and performance spaces are condoned arenas of challenge and usage by mainstream and peripheral groups. The paper also discusses the methods employed in the framing and nature of interpretation, and possesses its own tension as the different cultural perspectives and voices are heeded. It concludes that the festival exists as a multi-layered event involving economics, politics, faith, entertainment and prestige – each of which creates its own set of interpretations contextualised in the evolving state of Chinese tourism. The paper is partially a response to the work of Hollinshead, Phillimore & Goodson and O''Dell that claim a need for a more reflexive voice in the tourism literature as a means of understanding the tourist experience. Its premises are based on thinking derived from multiple sources including symbolic interaction and Buddhist thought. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the total factor productivity (TFP) growth of national parks in China. The method of Malmquist Productivity Index based on data enveloped analysis is used. The result shows that 58.33% of national parks in China improved their TFP, and their mean score reached 3.42 in 2001-2005. When the decompositions are considered, 90.28% of them decreased their efficiency and 98.59% of them increased their technology. Correlation analysis indicates that these national parks' TFP is more constrained by their efficiency change than technology change. The correlation coefficients of them with Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) reach to 0.7834 and 0.9367, respectively. Overall, the authors hold the opinion that most national parks in China increased their TFP during this period, but hindered by their inputs scale for preservation function, the efficiency of them deteriorated but the technology increased, further influencing the TFP. Finally, some methods to improve the performance of national parks for the governments and managers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a study of the importance of the classic Chinese novel, The Dream of the Red Mansion, in attracting visitors to Grand View Gardens in Beijing. That site was built as a replica of a Qing Dynasty palace for a popular television series. The study found that 52% of the 308 respondents stated that the novel was very or extremely important in attracting them to the gardens. The article seeks to go beyond this statistic by examining how familiarity with the novel might help explain some of the statistical findings and concludes by arguing that if one is to obtain an understanding of the tourist experience of a place made popular by fiction, then it is also necessary to engage in cultural, media, and literary studies as well as conversations and surveys of visitors. Hence, the text of the novel is itself part of the data set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the proposal that pilgrimage sites are like other tourism destinations because they are multi-faceted products meeting the needs of both religious believers and more general holiday makers. The data are derived from a sample of 427 pilgrims to the temple of Da-Lin, a site of worship of the goddess, Mazu. Cluster analysis accords closely with self-professed levels of devotion to the goddess. One-quarter of the sample indicated profound levels of belief, and 40 percent expressed low self-assessed levels of devotion. Factor analysis showed that ‘having a holiday’ accounted for most of the discrimination on a scale related to motivation and satisfaction gained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper has three purposes. First, it briefly describes some of the economic and cultural features of Chinese national parks that distinguish them from their counterparts in locations such as Europe, even while underlying similarities exist. Second, drawing on these differences it reports research into the efficiency of use of their resources by applying the technique, data envelopment analysis, to data made available for 136 national parks. Third, building on the results it identifies the role of external economies of scale in affecting resource usage and argues that being part of a portfolio of wider tourism locations is a means of improving resource usage. Such conclusions reinforce the role of Chinese national parks in rural economic regeneration through tourism, which arguably has as much importance in Chinese thinking as do issues of environmental protection. Thus tensions exist as to the role of national parks in China, and in their subsequent management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper examines the proposal that levels of satisfaction with mainland Chinese hotels by the domestic market are related to performance in core services to which clients attribute high levels of importance. Regression analysis indicates that the main determinants of satisfaction are the external environment, reputation and cleanliness of the bedroom. It is suggested that key components of the hotel product such as a comfortable bed are akin to hygiene factors in Herzberg''s theory of human relations, that is, their absence causes dissatisfaction, but their presence is insufficient to generate high levels of satisfaction. The sample comprises 941 Chinese respondents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A significant literature exists on the impacts of tourism on local communities. This paper examines this issue with reference to the impacts of tourism on the residents of Shi Cha Hai hutong in Beijing, but does so with reference to theories of place attachment or place identity. It therefore addresses two gaps in the literature—namely, (a) a comparative lack of empirical evidence on community impacts of tourism in Mainland China and (b) the absence of debate in the tourism literature about place attachment. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative methods, but this paper primarily concentrates upon the results derived from the quantitative study. It was found that, in general, concerns about heritage outweighed perceived advantages from economic development, and the role of heritage in place attachment is duly discussed. Additionally, a structural equation model is suggested whereby attitudes toward tourism are based upon attitudes toward heritage, tourism as a source of potential employment, length of residency and perceived intrusiveness of tourism, all of which impact on a sense of place identity. The findings from these tests raised issues about the role of government and self-efficacy in place identity in a Chinese environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The evaluations of 941 respondents who had recently stayed in a Chinese hotel revealed that guests' satisfaction with the hotels were influenced by hotels' star ratings. By comparing the importance-evaluation matrices for each category of hotel, a clear trend emerges in which higher levels of satisfaction are discernable for five-star and deluxe hotels than for one- and two-star hotels. At all levels, however, respondents gave high ratings to the key attributes of cleanliness and bed comfort. The findings raise a question of how to ensure satisfaction for China's one- and two-star hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses a study which examined the socio-demographic characteristics of Chinese travelers to New Zealand. Perception of the travelers toward New Zealand; Background of the study population; Reasons for visiting New Zealand.

Abstract: In this paper the authors offer a response to the critique of Robert Shepherd that argued that the original paper that offered an analysis of the 4th Buddhist Festival at Wutaishan, Shanxi Province, China, was both self indulgent and anti-empirical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early Cambrian black shales of the Niutitang Formation are found across the Yangtze Platform in a 1600-km belt extending across south China. A thin organic matter-rich layer in the lowermost part of this formation contains exceptional concentrations in Mo, Ni, Se, Re, Os, As, Hg, Sb, Ag, Au, Pt, Pd, and Ag. Due to their extreme metal enrichment, these black shales provide a rare opportunity to study the interface between semi-metals, metals and biogenic material. We report the first detailed μm-scale investigation of metal distributions and associations in samples from two sites, Zunyi and Sancha, located hundreds of km apart, using a combination of analytical techniques including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Synchrotron-based XRF mapping, electron probe micro-analyser (EPMA), particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE) probe and x-ray absorption near-edge structures (XANES) imaging. Strong μm-scale variations in metal and semi-metal distributions were highlighted by Synchrotron-based XRF mapping of samples from both sites. At both locations, U is present within phosphorite nodules. Arsenic, Mo and Se are particularly abundant in the organic-rich matrix, showing strong associations with organic matter. Nickel, however, shows different distributions between the two sites. It is mainly present in association with the organic matter at the Sancha site while it is found in abundance in millerite at the Zunyi site, suggesting slightly different local conditions at Zunyi favouring Ni-S associations over Ni-organic matter. At both sites, biogenic structures were re-mineralised with laminations dominated by different metals, indicating a likely control of organic matter over metal distributions. In addition, the XANES imaging highlighted different redox states of As over μm-scale areas. While As−1 appears to be mainly present in pyrite, As+3 was mainly detected in association within the carbon and MoS 2 mixed layer phase (MoSC). Overall, the present results emphasize the complexity of metal associations in this mineralised layer, the significant role of organic matter in the accumulation and precipitation of metals and semi-metals in these metalliferous shales and highlight how biogenic activity can induce μm-scale variations in redox conditions in sediments. • Multi-proxy characterisation of metal distributions at µm-scale from two sites in South China • Presence of remineralised biogenic structures with laminations dominated by different metals and semi-metals • XANES imaging reveals different redox states of As over µm-scale areas • Results reveal the influence of biogenic activity on µm-scale variations in redox conditions in the Niutitang shales [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]