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Backpacker identity has attracted growing attention in backpacker tourism research. However, there still lacks a valid scale to measure backpacker identity. Guided by Social Identity Theory (SIT), this study aims to develop and validate a scale to measure backpacker identity in the Chinese context. The study used two Chinese backpacker samples in two stages (Study 1, n=190; Study 2, n=323) to establish the psychometric properties of a backpacker identity scale (BIS). Following the process of scale development, a three-dimension (i.e., self-categorization, group self-value, and group self-evaluation) backpacker identity measurement model was identified. The refined scale with 16 measurement items was finally identified with sufficient reliability and validity. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by self-determination theory (SDT), this study aims to advance the theoretical understanding of backpacker personal development (BPD) by examining its relationships with two important social-psychological constructs, that is, generalized self-efficacy (GSE) and self-esteem (SE). Using two samples from different cultural groups (Chinese backpackers, n=230; Western backpackers, n=242) and applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling, the study found that among Chinese backpackers, skill development positively influenced GSE while worldview changes negatively influenced SE. For Western backpackers, capability development and emotional adjustment positively influenced their GSE. The positive effects of GSE on SE were confirmed in both samples. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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, andfascination) demonstrate cross-cultural reliability and validity in the Chinese context. In addition,fascinationis 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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 theinstitutional logics perspectiveand stakeholder theory, this study identifies the logics of different stakeholders in China's 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 China's tourism development. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of tourism development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 country's 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 China's 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reports on an empirical study of the motivations behind tourists' repeat visits to an urban destination from a longitudinal perspective. The study was conducted in Xiamen, a coastal city in Southeast China, which offers leisure lifestyles and attracts repeat visits. Six motivational factors driving repeat visit intentions are identified using exploratory factor analysis. Based on motivational differences, repeat visitors are typologized using K-means cluster analysis into four groups: Externally driven repeaters, Memory recallers, Novelty seekers, and Special interest repeaters. Implications of the study for destination marketing and management are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]