Hitchhiking travel in China: Gender, agency and vulnerability

Gender as moderator of the influence of tourists’ risk perception on destination image and visit intentions

“…From a managerial perspective, reducing women’s risk perceptions of destinations becomes important and can be mitigated by adopting measures. Previous studies have shown that risk perceptions are gendered based and/or constructed on cultural and social backgrounds, with women particularly more sensitive to security and physical risks (Gao et al , 2020). The results of the study show that uncontrollable risks (i.e.…”

“…Few studies explore the effects of the risk perceptions of the western solo female travel population on the commonly adopted response strategies of those travelling alone (Thomas and Mura, 2019), adding an extra layer of discomfort, in that being alone could make women a target (Brown et al, 2020). The findings in hitchhiking travel demonstrate that gendered subjectivities of the vulnerable female are produced by normative heterosexuality and the principle of reciprocity (Gao et al, 2020). In the study by Reisinger and Crotts (2009), female tourists perceived travelling internationally as involving higher risks, and were more anxious, felt less safe, intended to travel less internationally.…”

“…Yang et al (2017, p. 97) pointed out that “there is limited understanding in relation to how women interpret gendered travel risk, and how risk influences their travel behaviour”. Therefore, there is a gap in understanding tourist risk behaviour according to gender groups (Yang et al , 2017; Gao et al , 2020).…”

Yuanfen and traveling neo‐tribes: Social interactions and group relations among Chinese road travelers

“…The current research on road travel in China is scarce. The latest research has observed this phenomenon and sought to investigate hitchhiking in road travel in China as a gendered phenomenon (Gao, Cohen, & Hanna, 2020). Besides cycling enthusiasts of all ages, road travelers are mainly the youth, such as young college students seeking excitement and young people facing career adjustment.…”

Power and Resistance: Digital-Free Tourism in a Connected World

“…Power is found everywhere in tourism (Cheong and Miller 2000), both at the individual level where tourists are interacting with others (see Farmaki and Kaniadakis 2020;Gao, Cohen, and Hanna 2020) and the institutional level that consists of a network of policymaking and industry (see Dredge 2006;Zhao and Timothy 2015). Foucault does not consider power as a commodity that is possessed by any individual or institution but as something that exists through exercising and circulating within a network of relations (Foucault 1978(Foucault , 1980.…”