Ordering the Disordered Subject: A Critique Of Chinese Outbound Tourists as New Zealand Seeks to Become China Ready

Abstract

Currently, expanding Chinese outbound tourism attracts significant practical research effort utilizing various conceptual approaches in many countries. In this Review Article, J. Zhang and Shelton note that this form of tourism to New Zealand is notably increasing and the nature of the experience is accordingly changing from group coach travel to FIT. In their critique, J. Zhang and Shelton argue that despite the increased and careful scrutiny of both the tourism industry and the tourism studies academia on this development, most of the analytic effort (such as that on push/pull factors) is founded upon a dominant and unchallenged Western discourse around self and subject. They maintain that the term "subject position" might be a concept that is common across the broader social sciences but is uncommon in outbound tourism research itself. In this Review Article, the authors are interested in the extent to which, in a Chinese cultural setting, Western formulations of self and subjectivity are actually appropriate, and, they question whether "Chinese outbound tourism to New Zealand" indeed acts to produce the ordered subject. In this light, they critique the very demand that New Zealand becomes China Ready, and they contend that, before their arrival, the Chinese outbound tourist to New Zealand already will have been hailed by a set of subjectivities operating in China, which will act to significantly disorder their touristic performances. Thus, Zhang and Shelton suggest that New Zealand policymakers and tourism product providers must understand these multiple and discursive subjectivities, which are likely to be barriers for any prescriptive reading of the individual tourist. This review is thus intended to help both operational practitioners and field researchers realize that New Zealand-and, indeed, each and every large international destination-must produce compelling/relevant/satisfying supply-side subject positions that may profitably be mapped onto such individual tourists both before and during their visits. (Abstract by Reviews Editor)

The Tourist Stereotype Model: Positive and Negative Dimensions

“…A possible explanation for this effect is the pervasiveness of negativity bias on self-stereotyping. Information in the media often report on the inappropriate and disruptive behaviors of Chinese tourists (J. J. Zhang and Shelton 2015).…”

Statistics, publicity and industry intervention: Changing depictions of the Chinese outbound travel market in New Zealand newspapers

“…Quantification and analysis prompt the notion that economic or political action can be directed towards visitors. Statistics, as they are compiled by countries such as New Zealand, have helped to establish the Chinese travel market as a significant and distinct entity (Zhang and Shelton, 2015).…”