Puzzles in Understanding Chinese Tourist Behaviour: Towards a Triple-C Gaze

Abstract

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.

The spectacular and the mundane: Chinese tourists’ online representations of an iconic landscape journey

“…The research team and assistants comprised a mix of Chinese nationals and western researchers and there is an appreciation that some of the symbolism in the photographs reflects what has been described as the triple gaze of Chinese tourists (cf. Pearce et al, 2013). It is suggested that attempts to look at symbolic meanings would require substantial direct consultation with those who write blogs and post the photographs.…”

“…Several key factors, notably easier visa applications, a growing confidence in travelling overseas driven in part by enhanced English speaking-skills, and the availability of much web-based information, support more independent travel by Chinese tourists (Pearce, Wu, & Osmond, 2013). The group tour is still popular, but independent travel is growing at an extraordinary speed.…”

Resident perceptions of tourism: The role of social distance

“…Eleven years on and arguably there remain many gaps in this research field, even though the Chinese market is now recognized as the leading international outbound tourism market (CIW, 2017). Undoubtedly, research into this important market has increased over the past decade, investigating such aspects as the motivations of the Chinese tourist (Fu, Cai, & Lehto, 2017;Pearce, Wu, & Osmond, 2013;Xiang, 2013); their vacation satisfaction (Chan, Hsu, & Baum, 2015;Chen, Fu, & Lehto, 2016), and information-seeking behavior (Kambele, Li, & Zhou, 2015). However, many gaps remain; one of which being their impact upon the hosts of a destination and how this rapidly growing market is accommodated by host communities.…”

Towards an understanding of Chinese tourist photography: evidence from the UK

“…In other words, the majority of studies are concerned with the photographic practices of Western (principally international) tourists; conversely, more limited attention has been paid to those of non-Western tourists. In particular, although China is now the world's largest source of international tourists, and research has begun to identify the factors that determine the behaviours of Chinese tourists in general (for example, Arlt, 2006;Nyiri, 2009;Pearce, Wu & Osmond, 2013), few if any attempts have been made to date to explore how and why they engage in photography in particular during their international travels. This is not to say that photography as both an historical and contemporary cultural phenomenon in China has not benefitted from academic scrutiny (Roberts, 2013).…”