Considerable efforts are underway to understand the behaviours of the growing number of outbound Chinese tourists. Existing research has shown that this market is complex, and an awareness of regional differences, change within China, and sensitivity to other world views are needed to guide studies in this area. For western researchers, several puzzles require conceptual clarification. These items of interest include what motivates Chinese tourists and are their motives different from those of western tourists? Among the other questions to be asked are, how do Chinese tourists interact with each other and their hosts, and how do they view unfamiliar natural environments? These are big questions and require a holistic and comprehensive approach to seeking initial answers. The paper approaches the puzzles posed by Chinese tourist behaviour by considering tourists' experiences as an orchestrated pattern of five blended forces. In particular, attention was directed towards the social behaviours, the role of sensory modalities, and the cognitive, affective and activity facets of experience. Further, this review explains how three major streams of influence (Confucianism, Communism and Capitalism) operate on and through the Chinese outbound tourists' experiences. The paper identifies these multiple influences as producing an oscillating triple-C gaze. The application of this concept can arguably help better delineate the perspectives of the twenty first century outbound Chinese travellers. As the quest to solve the puzzles of Chinese tourist behaviour gathers momentum, the opportunities for more longitudinal research and comparative studies viewed within this triple-C gaze are identified as useful complements to existing work.

Transitions to more sustainable energy systems are increasingly required to address the problem of climate change. Different stakeholder groups, however, may not share the same level of acceptability for an increase in renewable energy. This paper examines energy consumers’ attitudes towards energy issues, their use of renewable energy in the home and constraints to energy conservation. Respondent-completed questionnaires from 325 people reveal strong support for renewable energy and a belief in human-induced climate change. A multitude of obstacles to energy-efficient practices are revealed by the survey. The paper also explores the role of social marketing in prompting behavioural change and encouraging a transition to renewable energy. Policy makers can utilise these findings to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and build capacity among residents.

People are increasingly engaging in recreational activities in nature. Preferences for recreation opportunities are, however, changing over time and among different people. Furthermore, different settings offer unique combinations of attributes; these attributes generate occasions for tourists to achieve particular recreation experiences albeit tourists create experiences differently. The current study investigated tourists' travel reviews of recreation opportunities in Australia's Wet Tropics. Drawing on two land and activity categorisation systems, the research explored tourists' reported experiences and interests across different natural environment leisure settings. The overall objective of the paper was to explore the setting-experience relationship by identifying differences in tourists' reported experiences according to setting attributes and personal characteristics. Leximancer analysis of over 2,000 TripAdvisor reviews (posted 2010-2012) was conducted on 11 tourist attractions in far north Queensland. Overall, tourists describe their experiences of different Wet Tropics' leisure settings in a relatively similar manner, with some distinctive features highlighted for each attraction. In particular, tourists commented about a variety of visit components including natural elements, supporting infrastructure, experiential aspects, as well as their feelings/impressions. Furthermore, differences were noticed when the attraction visits were explored according to various personal characteristics. Findings from the study offer useful directions in further developing, promoting and managing Wet Tropics attractions which offer diverse experiences in different recreation settings.

The present study seeks to explore and compare the perceived importance of Pine and Gilmore’s experience realms and Schmitt’s categorisations of experience in a tourism context. These approaches to experiences are chosen because they are widely cited, yet rarely compared. The empirical component of the work is based on Chinese tourists who were asked to anticipate their experiences in Australia. Would be travellers in the regions of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing, accessed through an extensive snowball sampling procedure, responded to a detailed and literature-informed set of activity and experience items in a questionnaire format. The study provided evidence that the systems can be seen as joint contributors to understanding experience; the Pine and Gilmore work offers a more holistic appraisal and the Schmitt system presents a more fine-grained rendition of the desired experiences. Aesthetic and sensory experiences were shown to be of the highest importance. Experience analysis offers insights and the approach in the study develops a pathway to pursue empirical studies so that researchers can provide benefits for marketers in tourism.

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