Lecture #2.1
In-bound Travel Service
Lecture Objectives:
•
Understand contribution of tourism to China’s national
economy and opening to the world
–
China’s comparative advantage in attracting in-bound tourists
•
•
•
•
Review culture as an attraction for promoting in-bound
travel
–
–
•
resources diversity
history
mystery of a closed communist regime from 1949 to the early 80’s
a case analysis of early 1990’s
a current case in Beijing
Discuss issue of authenticity in tourism study (part #1)
–
tourism infrastructure development and modernization of China
Useful References

Li, Y. (2003). Heritage tourism: Contradictions between
conservation and change. Journal of Tourism and
Hospitality Research, 4 (3): 247-261

Xie, F. (2003) The bamboo-beating dance in Hainan,
China: Authenticity and Commodification. Journal of
Sustainable Tourism, 11: 5-16

Wang, X. (2003). China in the eye of Western travelers,
1860-1900. In Lew, A., Yu, L., Ap, J. & Zhang, G.
(Eds.), Tourism in China, pp. 35-50. New York: The
Haworth Hospitality Press
Understand contribution
of tourism to China’s
national economy &
opening to the world in
the 80’s and early 90’s
Major Characteristics of
China’s Tourism Industry
•
The political:
–
Socialist/communist
•
•
•
centrally planned economy
top-down approach as opposed to bottom up needs of tourism
resource management
The economic:
–
Profit-oriented
•
hunger for capital investment in the so-called ‘early stage of
socialist market economy’
•
The development mode
–
Rapid growth at a recent start
–
Mode of development:
#1 Int’l inbound
=>#2 Domestic + Int’l Inbound
=>#3 Domestic + Int’l in- & out-bound
manifestation #1: culture as a resource for tourism
•
Political guidance and central control (top-down)
evolution of tourism management at nation-state level
–
early 1950s: politics and Chinese ‘face” culture
Mao Ze Dong: (打掃干淨房子再請客)
–
1964:
China Travel and Sightseeing Bureau
(中國旅行游覽事業管理局)
•
–
1982:
China National Tourism Administration
(中華人民共和國國家旅游局)
–
1983:
The State Council made the strategy for tourism development:
(友誼為上,經濟受益)
–
1995:
The 9th Five-Year Plan designated tourism to be the first among the
“tertiary industry”(第三產業)
Continuous growth for 3 decades
•
Regional difference in development
Contribution of Tourism
to China’s National Economy
•
Enhancing development of other related
economic sectors
–
Food and beverage
–
Accommodation
–
Transportation
–
Sightseeing
–
Shopping
–
Entertainment
(吃﹐ 住﹐ 行﹐ 游﹐ 購﹐ 娛)
•
Creating employment opportunities
1:5 relationship
–

1 job in tourism industry can indirectly create 5 jobs in related
industries
Increasing foreign exchange earnings
2 ways of increasing foreign exchange earnings:

commodity trade

service trade (including tourism)

what are advantages and disadvantages of service trade?
For your critical thinking:

Along with rapid growth of China’s economy,
what are the associated changes regarding:
 tourism
product supply & resource
management?
 mode of tourism development?
 implications
trade?
for balancing international
The advantage of tourism trade –
points for you to reflect critically:

Trade of intangible products:

commodity supply


consumption of energy


less than other kind of industries?
Place of trade:


tourism related goods
cost of storage and transportation
Place of consumption:

cash trade and exchange rate
Review culture as an
attraction for promoting inbound travel for tourism
development of China
A case analysis in the early 1990’s
References:
Li, Y. 2000. Ethnic tourism: A Canadian experience. Annals of Tourism Research 27
(1): 115-131.
Swain, M. B. (1995). A Comparaison of state and private artisan production for tourism in
Yunnan.In Lew, A., and Yu, L., Ap, J. & Zhang, G. (Eds.), Tourism in China, pp.
223-236.Boulder: Westview Press
Ethnic tourism & Yunnan’s rich culture resources
•
Clarifying the concept:
ethnic tourism:
–
The term:
•
•
–
The experience
•
–
is interchangeable with the concept of “cultural tourism”
referrs to the “quaint” customs of indigenous & other “exotic”
peoples
involves some direct experience with ethnic culture &
environment
The most important element is
•
human culture & heritage
–Food and beverage
Cultural & Economic
Perspectives of
–Accommodation
Ethnic
Tourism
–Transportation
–Sightseeing
Market
(origin)
Product
(attraction)
–Shopping
Physical Travel
–Entertainment
Spatial Movement
Cultural commodification
demand
supply
Ethnic cultural
resources
Discuss issue of authenticity
in tourism study (Part#1)
One of the consequences in the process of cultural
commodification: problem of authenticity
Understanding “authenticity”
 Authenticity as tourism image

staged authenticity
Culture tourism in China today:
Case of Art 798 in Beijing:
Further discussion of authenticity
•
Authenticity as individualism
–
•
Freedom of an American style
An authentic or false modern China?
Authenticity as liberation of a modern society
–
Tourism impacts and modernization of China (to be discussed in
future lectures)
Is China a modern, and / or modernized society?
Lecture # 2.2 Demand of Outbound Travel
Lecture Objectives:
•
understand leisure as a concept and a life style in
China
•
examine increasing demand of China’s outbound
leisure travel
•
discuss implications of such demand for Hong
Kong and the international community
Useful References
Xiao, H. (2003). Leisure in China. In Lew, A., Yu, L., Ap, J. & Zhang, G. (Eds.), Tourism in China, pp.
263-276. New York: The Haworth Hospitality Press
Zhang Qiu, H., Jenkins, C. & Qu, H. (2003). Mainland Chinese outbound travel to Hong Kong and its
implications. In Lew, A., Yu, L., Ap, J. & Zhang, G. (Eds.), Tourism in China, pp. 277-296.
New York: The Haworth Hospitality Press
Understand leisure as a concept
and a life style in China
LEISURE
Tourism
Passive
Leisure
Sport
Recreation
Figure 1
The Leisure Domain
Source: Prosser (2000) Leisure, Recreation and Tourism, p. 4.

Personal
Income
HK$
28,000Distribution (based on Mill & Morrison, 2006, pp. 261):
It is also important to understand that the income spent on tourism is
spent at the expense of something else. Tourism expenditures are in
HK$4,200
competition with other expenditures, some of which are discretionary:
HK$23,800
Food, utilities, rent,
etc. HK$13,000
Collecting;How
gardening,
much, from the
gambling, HK10,800,
theatres andcould be spent
concerts, etc.
from thetravel?
on tourism
HK10,800
HK$10,800
Conceptualize Leisure

What is leisure?

time (discretionary time)

expenditure (discretionary income)

an antithesis

a state of mind: freedom of being different
Major academic enquires about leisure:

Leisure participation and social
stratification

Hi-income earners with more ‘culture
capital :


legitimate forms of leisure
Low-income earners with less ‘culture
capital :

popular forms of leisure
Where does tourism belong?
Today, this overall picture of the relation between
social structure and the cultural composition of
the leisure field has become more complex,
largely due to the rise of the new middle class in
size and politico-cultural significance:
Educated – college or above
 Professional – white collar?
 Middle to high range of income
 Diversified family backgrounds
 etc.

As a result……
The leisure field has become more open
with all kinds of national public cultural
monopolies being side tracked by different
kinds of global cultural flows and changes,
of which…..
….TOURISM IS ONE
Evolution of leisure as a life style in China (1)
please read your textbook (Chapter #14)
Leisure before 1979, give your thoughts to:

How leisure in China was shaped by these factors:

discretionary income

discretionary time

quality and availability of public leisure facilities

urban & rural differences in leisure provision/participation
=>

leisure behavior patterns
Evolution of leisure as a life style in China (2)
please read your textbook (Chapter #14)
Leisure since 1979, give your thoughts to:

How leisure life in China has been shaped by these factors:

Public policy (especially the economic)

improved global-local nexus in the 1990’s




international relations
exposure to new information and technology
foreign trade increase
Transformation of public policy (social) =>
 Direct effect on leisure provision & management
1. Diversification of income & increase of
disposable income
•
State Council Pay Raise Act
2. New system of labor and employment
•
competition and work pressure
•
need for leisure
3. Trade union’s role in 1990s
•
Public welfare extended to wider section of
community
•
Sources increase for leisure activities
China’s outbound travel as one of the direct effects
Examine increasing demand of
China’s outbound leisure travel
BACKGROUND
–
China will be the 4th biggest world outbound tourist-generating country by
2020 (WTO, 1997)
World’s Top 10 Tourist-Generating Countries in 2020
Major social, economic & political factors
for the demand
–
Economic growth
–
Increasingly open-oriented public policy
–
Relaxation of travel rules
•
Seven day free visa to HK
•
Single currency system
•
5 day working policy
•
CEPA arrangement
The engine of growth

Rapid growth of the economy (south china morning post 15/01/2009) :

2008 = has been recorded as 9%
(accessed on 22/01/2009: http://finance.sina.com.cn/g/20090122/10005791031.shtml

2009 = predicted to be 8%

Income increase lifted living
standard greatly

With economic expansion,
中国:
USD2460 => 104
came the inexorable
香港rise of
USD29149 => 28
台湾
USD16274 => 36
the new middle class
澳门
USD36357 => 20
Outbound Travel by Chinese Residents

The rippling effect:
Inter-continental travel
Outbound Intra-Asia Travel
to HK, Thailand, Malaysia & Philippines
Domestic Tourism
Where would they like to go?
Major destinations :











Hong Kong
Macau
Thailand
Malaysia
The Philippines
Japan
Russia
USA
Singapore
Australasia
Everywhere in the world since 2000…...
VISA, can’t leave home without it!

The ability to travel outside China depends on
not only adequate income
but…
Official permission for both exit and entry
as well
More and more foreign countries
are granting visas to Chinese
tourists reflecting China’s growing
economic stature and the
increasing affluence of her
nationals
Where are outbound travelers from?
3 top sources:

Guangdong

Shanghai and adjacent provinces like Zhejiang
and Jiangsu

Beijing and its coastal neighbouring regions
The favorite destinations:



Thailand
Singapore
Malaysia
Main reasons
 Large number of ethnic Chinese
 Moderate level of economic development
 Relatively cheap



Short distance
Devaluation of currencies
etc.
Discuss implications of China’s
outbound travel demand for
Hong Kong & the world
Tourism forecast for HK in 2009

Total arrivals


Mainland arrivals


3.2 (-0.1%)
Per capita spending


11.4 million (-9.2%)
Average stay (days)


17.5 million (+4.1%)
Other arrivals


29 million (-1.6%)
HK$5,278 (-1.5%)
Tourism revenue

HK$148b (-0.4%)
Source: South China Morning Post 15/01/2009)
The implications for Hong Kong

China is already the largest tourism market within the
Asia Pacific regions

The launch of the individual travel scheme only
cements further China’s position as Hong Kong’s top
tourism market

Reconsider Hong Kong’s focal appeal:

“City of life” and Asia’s leisure capital?

Asia’s World City as a strategy for global marketing?

New attractions such as Disneyland?
Implication for the World

China’s large population base gives her the
NUMERICAL potential to become a huge
source of international outbound tourism
What should the rest of the world do?

The needs and
preferences of Chinese
travelers should be better
studied and known

Care should be taken to meet
their needs and supply
services in a way appealing
to their preferences and
tastes
More actions to be taken?

Market research to sort out market segments

Variable factors for segmentation:










Motivation
Behavior
Geographic origins
Gender
Age
Education
Income
Development of special travel packages
Identification of destinations with features appealing to Chinese
tourists
More provision for the use of the Chinese language as English is not
widely used among Chinese people
How to cope with the tourists from
a ‘false modern society’?
法国旅游业者称中国游客最难伺候
(French tourism agents found Chinese tourists to be the most difficult to handle)
http://www.sina.com.cn 2006年12月27日01:35 北京晨报:
两节将至又到出境游高峰，各方讲述部分国人不文明举止，法国旅游界
人士说—— 临近元旦和春节，国人出游的热情再次高涨，欢乐旅游的
同时，游客的不文明行为也将再次增多。日前，记者采访了国内旅行社、
国外旅游业工作人员以及中国留学生，发现尽管国家旅游局发布了《中
国公民出国(境)旅游文明行为指南》和《中国公民国内旅游文明行为公
约》，但部分中国游客在旅游时仍然“不拘小节”，令人尴尬。
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2006-12-27/013511891746.shtml
伦敦华人：中国游客让我羞愧
A Chinese Londoner: I feel ashamed of some Chinese tourists who visit UK
需要在国外改变形象的不仅仅是中国普通游客
(2009-01-13 06:55:57)
看了很多关于中国游客在国外的习惯被人诟病，以致受人歧视的文章。
作为一个在中国文化环境中长大的中国人，在英国生活了多年，亲身感受了东
西方不同的文化，想从自己的体会谈一些看法。
世界上每一个国家每一个民族都有自己的传统自己的习惯，在一个国
家被认为很正常的习惯很有可能在另一个国家被认为是恶习，这种现象本就很
正常。例如，中国人在与朋友一起吃饭时，喜欢热热闹闹，高声谈论，这是一
种轻松和谐的气氛；而在西方，吃饭时喜欢安静，低声交谈，这是一种尊重他
人的文明现象。又如，在中国，当人面擤鼻涕是很不礼貌的举动；而在英国这
里，在很多场合你都可以看到洋鬼子掏出手帕或纸巾把鼻子冲得震天响，他们
并不觉得有什么不妥。因此，不同文化背景的人之间，有很多习惯是相互不能
接受的，但重要的是要知己知彼，扬长避短，互相尊重，而对出国旅游的人来
说，重要的是要入乡随俗，尊重主人文化。说起来简单，要做起来就不太容易
了。。。。。。。。。。。。。
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_52de60510100bvyp.html?tj=1
(accessed on 01-14-2009)
Discuss issue of authenticity
in tourism study
One of the consequences in the process of cultural
commodification: problem of authenticity
Understanding “authenticity”
 Authenticity as tourism image

staged authenticity

Authentic as a factor of success

Authenticity as individualism


Freedom of an American style
Authenticity as liberation of a modern society

Tourism impacts and modernization of China (to be
discussed in future lectures)
Economic and social Implications
of China’s outbound travel demand

Tourism becomes an important vehicle to drive
China’s modernization campaign:




Leisure becomes a life style of which tourism is one choice
Tourism is a result of China’s tremendous economic
growth
The demand for tourism accelerates such growth, e.g.
infrastructure building such as hotels, roads, and airports
Along with the economic growth, social change may occur

What would be these social changes?
2 parallel aspects of modernization
A)
Economic growth: indicators of the false modern:

Technically positive outcomes such as

Money, money market, capital accumulation, etc. =>

Infrastructure development
 Hotels
 Transports
 Communication, etc.
=> to facilitate tourist travel?
2 parallel aspects of modernization (Cont’d)
B) Social change: indicators of the authentic modern:
 At
the individual level- freedom?

 At
=> tourism – escape from daily routine - authenticity –
freedom of American style?
the societal level:

Institutional change – the authentic modern
=> Democracy?
Tourism as a driving force of China’s
modernization - false modern aspect:
Hotel development