Tourism place making through the bioluminescent "Blue Tears" of Pingtan Islands, China.

Tourism is often considered as an important way to diversify island economy, reinforce island culture and support island residents. As a dynamic multi-actor process, an island tourism destination is constructed and evolved with different stakeholders interacting and co-creating the setting, values, experiences, meanings and identity of the island. Taking the bioluminescent "Blue tears" of Pingtan Islands, Fujian Province of China, as a focal point, the interactions of local government and tourists and the responses of the tourism sector in co-creating Pingtan as a tourism destination were evaluated. A mixed methods approach was adopted, including assessment of policies and plans to reflect government perspectives, online review analysis to present tourist perspectives, analysis of online news and onsite observations to reflect tourism sector involvement. As an attraction provoking tourists' imagination and emotions, the "Blue tears" enriched Pingtan as a tourism place. The wide-spread uses of social media in travel information exchange disseminated tourists' use patterns and preferences and empowered tourists in the tourism place making process of Pingtan. Such market demand not only responded to, but also influenced the official positioning and strategies of the local government and was stimulating the development and involvement of the tourism sector. Theoretical reflections on tourism place making theory and practical implications for Pingtan and other island and coastal destinations are discussed. • Interactions of local government, tourists, tourism business are examined in co-creating Pingtan as a tourism destination. • The decentralization of power with increased bottom-up actor involvement in tourism place making in the era of social media is revealed. • Understanding of the dynamic interplay of multiple actors in tourism place making process is advanced. • Practical implications are generated to enhance stakeholder cooperation to support island tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]