Examining tourist gaze in a highly controlled destination: A study of Chinese tourists to North Korea

Bao, Jigang; Shi, Huimin; Li, Zhenghuan; Huang, Songshan

doi:10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.09.022

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Their travel experiences facilitated the coding of interview transcripts in terms of fluency and trustworthiness. Following previous qualitative research on social identity (Zhang et al , 2019; Zhang et al , 2021) and North Korea tourism (Chen et al , 2021), the content was next elaborated. Logical links were developed to be aggregated into higher-level concepts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, destinations should constantly highlight the friendly and unique relationships with their similarothers source markets in their marketing activities. In the case of North Korea attracting Chinese tourists, as mentioned in prior studies (e.g., Chen et al, 2021;Li &Wang, 2020), North Korea's destination image as China's "socialist brother" should be continuously emphasized to further reach the Chinese market and to promote its tourism industry and the overall economy. Second, the tourism industry in similar-others destinations should also strive to enhance the experience of tourists from their corresponding similar-others markets by arousing their positive collectivelevel affection and nostalgic memories, and avoiding negative emotions.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…First, destination marketers should highlight friendly relationships with similarothers source markets. As mentioned elsewhere (Chen et al, 2021;Li and Wang, 2020), North Korea's destination image as China's "socialist brother" should be emphasised to reach the Chinese market. Visitation will promote North Korea's tourism industry and economy.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This psychological process is known as social categorization (Tajfel, 1978(Tajfel, , 1982; it concerns similarities among group members while emphasizing discrepancies between groups or categories (Tajfel, 1978). Referring to the earlier example of backpackers, these individuals generally label themselves "backpackers" or "travelers" instead of "tourists" to highlight their group features (e.g., Chen et al, 2021).…”

Section: Social Identity Theory and Its Applications In Tourist Exper...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This process expanded group boundaries and led tourists to realize their own group identity (Hornsey, 2008;Sarup, 1996;Tajfel, 1974). In fact, extant literature has sporadically documented intergroup comparisons by Chinese tourists in their gazes (Chen et al, 2021), destination image formation , and pre-visit attitude (Li & Wang, 2020) regarding North Korea. However, these studies have not fully recognized the impacts of intergroup comparisons on the construction of Chinese tourists' social identities.…”

Section: Intergroup Comparison: Enhancement Of Group Self-esteemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring tourists’ social identities in a similar-others destination: the case of Chinese tourists in North Korea

Bao

Bie

Zhang

et al. 2023

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Purpose This study aims to contribute to social identity theory in tourism by exploring the reflections of Chinese tourists visiting North Korea and how they negotiate their intergroup identity in this similar-others destination. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via online platforms and in-depth interviews. A qualitative approach, i.e. thematic analysis, was used to analyse the two sets of data. Findings Results showed that when encountering North Koreans perceived as similar others amid the social, economic and political environments in which they were embedded, Chinese tourists often categorised themselves as ordinary tourists, preferentially treated tourists and vicarious tourists based on intergroup similarities to North Koreans. They also performed intergroup comparison to boost their self-esteem at group and collective levels and developed corresponding strategies to generate distinct emotional group commitments. Practical implications It is recommended that destinations reinforce the friendly and unique relationship with their similar-others source markets to improve their attractiveness. Destinations should also strive to enhance the experience of tourists from their similar-others markets by arousing their positive collective-level affection, emotional resonance and nostalgic memories and avoiding negative emotions. Originality/value This study offers a theoretical framework analysing the features of tourists’ social identities while visiting a similar-others destination, contributing to our understanding of the interactive and contingency nature of social identity in tourism, and responding to the call for addressing the broader social contexts in which tourists’ group identity is embedded.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%