Ganghua Chen

Developing a Scale to Measure Backpackers’ Personal Development

Backpacking travel has become a global trend among young people. Despite the importance of personal development among the youth, research has rarely probed the construct of backpackers’ personal development (BPD). The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure backpackers’ personal development. The study developed 30 measurement items to construct a survey instrument. The instrument was then administered to collect data from a sample of 397 Chinese backpackers. Following a rigorous process of scale development, a five-dimension (Capability, Emotion, Worldview, Skill, and Self-consciousness) personal development model was identified. A refined scale consisting of 16 measurement items was finally derived meeting both reliability and validity requirements.

Path dependence in the evolution of resort governance models in China

Governance models have attracted growing academic interest in the recent literature on resort development. In transitional China, resort governance models have been evolving in step with the countrys marketization and modernization. This paper reports on a case study of the governance models relating to the Yalong Bay National Tourist Resort (YBNTR), one of Chinas most famous resort destinations. Two approaches to data collection were used in this study: secondary data from local governmental agencies and companies, and in-depth interviews with 18 key personnel involved with the resort. This study, by reviewing the evolution of YBNTR governance models, shows that a path-dependence context impacted on its evolution. By integrating the ‘road juncture’ approach to understanding path dependence with elements of Institutional Costs Theory, a proposition for the formative mechanism of path dependence in the evolution of the YBNTR governance model was formulated and tested. It is demonstrated that, at the key time junctures for decisions on YBNTR governance models, influential actors (e.g. local government, the developers, and nearby communities) were theoretically provided with multiple choices. However, the existence of institutional costs structured the potential options of the actors in two ways: on the one hand, the opportunity costs of giving up the previous governance model had to be calculated and taken into account; and on the other, the potential additional costs of adopting a new governance model also had to be calculated and considered. Additionally, institutional legacy and interest group (the main developer, nearby villagers) bargaining capacities also influenced institutional costs and returns in different directions and to varying extents. These also conditioned the future directions and trajectories in the evolution of appropriate governance models. This study expands previous theories of path dependence in institutional change, and thus contributes to the understanding of institutional changes in Hainan and transitional China.

The multiple logics of tourism development in China

ABSTRACT It has been widely demonstrated and accepted in the sustainable tourism literature that tourism development involves multiple stakeholders. However, little research has been conducted to examine the logics guiding and explaining the behaviours of the stakeholders in tourism development. Guided by the institutional logics perspective and stakeholder theory, this study identifies the logics of different stakeholders in Chinas tourism development through fieldwork in two tourism development cases (Yalong Bay and Haitang Bay) in Hainan Province and content analysis on secondary data from multiple sources. The logic of pursuing political legitimacy, the logic of fiscal income maximisation, the dual logics of the market and politics, and the logic of pursuing economic benefits were identified to be the dominant logics driving the behaviours of the central government, local government, tourism enterprises and local communities, respectively, in Chinas tourism development. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of tourism development in China.

Understanding Chinese cultural tourists: typology and profile

ABSTRACT This study aims to offer a clear and up-to-date typology and profile of Chinese cultural tourists in mainland China following the framework based on cultural centrality and depth of cultural experience. Using a sample of mainland Chinese tourists (n = 656) at three cultural attractions in Guangzhou, China, a typology of Chinese cultural tourists (namely casual, sightseeing, purposeful, serendipitous, and incidental) was developed and trip characteristics (e.g. prior knowledge, time spent to get to know the site before visit, change in knowledge, and on-site activities) and sociodemographics of each segment were also examined. In addition, slight differences are found between local day-trippers and tourists from outside Guangzhou in terms of their types and characteristics (prior knowledge, change in knowledge, and sociodemographics). Destination marketing and management implications are provided.

Understanding Chinese vacationers’ perceived destination restorative qualities: cross-cultural validation of the perceived destination restorative qualities scale

ABSTRACT This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the dimensionality and consequences of existing Chinese vacationers’ perceived destination restorative qualities (PDRQs) by cross-culturally validating the PDRQ scale (PDRQS), which has been recently developed to assess individuals’ PDRQs in the American context. Using two samples of existing Chinese vacationers (sample 1: n = 230; sample 2: n = 148) who were taking a real vacation when being surveyed, and following a rigorous process of scale validation, the study confirmed that five out of the six original subscales (compatibility, extent, mentally away, physically away, and fascination) demonstrate cross-cultural reliability and validity in the Chinese context. In addition, fascination is found to be a predictor of Chinese vacationers’ experienced pleasure evaluation, and PDRQs as a whole a predictor of Chinese vacationers’ preference for a destination. Destination marketing implications are derived based on the findings.

China Tourism Research: A Review of Publications from Four Top International Journals

ABSTRACT Two-hundred and fifty-seven research articles on China tourism published between 1979 and 2015 in four leading international tourism journals (i.e. Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Journal of Travel Research and Tourism Management) were reviewed to delineate the status of China tourism research and indicate areas for future academic inquiry. The most common research themes within the body of literature reviewed were identified as tourist behavior, tourism governance and policy issues as well as tourism economics. Methodologically, a balanced distribution of research methods was identified. This review examines the relationship between authorship and fieldwork, and its impact on research interpretations. This review paper calls for more rigorous fieldwork reflecting genuine observations of tourism development and the relevant sociocultural and political developments in transitional China.

Evolution of Tourism Research in China after the Millennium: Changes in Research Themes, Methods, and Researchers

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the evolution of tourism research in China after the millennium in terms of research themes, methods/methodologies, and researcher profiles. Reviewing 2,078 research articles published in the leading Chinese tourism journal Tourism Tribune, the study identified a transition of focus from industry supply issues to market demand/consumer behavior issues in research themes; quantitative studies adopting positivism/post-positivism were increasing. Within a relatively young research community in age, female researchers seem to claim the majority in the next generation. Multiple-author collaborations and publishing also appear to be the norm of tourism research practices in China.

Market segmentation for a leverage revitalization of China’s inbound tourism: the case of US leisure tourists

China’s inbound tourism currently faces a tough choice between a niche strategy and a wide-range tourist attraction. The derivative concept of ‘leverageable market’ provides a reasonable method to solve the problem. This study, thus, attempts to conduct market segmentation for identifying a core crowd in the leisure tourism market of US near-venturers that leverages revitalization. A mixed segmentation method was adopted that combined ‘a posterior approach’ with ‘a priori approach’ in an overall multi-stage framework. ‘Venturesomeness’ in Plog’s psychographic model was the first principle segmentation variable used, which is intrinsically pertinent to the connotation of a leverageable market. ‘Activity participation’ was added to further partition the near-venturers identified, yielding refined management strategies. The data first indicated an obvious shift of China’s psychographic destination position from ‘near-venturer’ to ‘mid-centric’. Cluster analysis further identified four activity-based near-venturer segments: outdoor stimulus experiencers, recreation and amusement seekers, culture searchers, and extensive interest holders. Significant socio-demographic and trip-related features were found among the clusters. The corresponding managerial and theoretical implications, limitations, and agendas for further related research were finally discussed.