Understanding a New Tourism Market and Destination Development
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Understanding a new tourism market Understanding a new tourism market and destination development: The case of Chinese tourism in Spain Aureli Lojo Blesa Dr. Gemma Cànoves Dr. Mimi Li Supervisors October 2019 · PhD Dissertation · Geography Department Autonomous University of Barcelona · PhD Program in Geography Understanding a new tourism market and destination development: The case of Chinese tourism in Spain October 2019 197 pages Author Aureli Lojo Thesis supervisors Dr. Gemma Cànoves (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) Dr. Mimi Li (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) Book design, cover art & layout design Aureli Lojo Copyright © 2019, Aureli Lojo Blesa All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is not allowed. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without the prior written permission of the author, except for the quotation of brief passages. ISBN 978-84-09-14149-4 To cite this work Lojo, A. (2019). Understanding a new tourism market and destination development: The case of Chinese tourism in Spain (Doctoral dissertation). Barcelona: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona, Spain Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona To China and the millions of Chinese tourists that travel the world. This work is a dissertation submitted to fulfill the degree requirements of the PhD Program in Geography at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Thesis Committee Page 193 Title in Spanish Planteamientos para comprender un nuevo mercado turístico y desarrollar el destino: El caso del turismo chino en España Image credits Page 195 Poetry references Page 195 Table of contents 9 Preface 11 Abstract 13 Acknowledgments 15 Presentation 19 Part I 117 Article 4 General introduction Understanding tourism information 21 Background sources: Textual communication, 21 Research rationale efficiency and information gaps 23 Gap and objectives 25 Conceptual bases 139 Article 5 26 Methodological stance 28 Dissertation contents Destination image fragmentation and information sources. A 33 Part II comparative analysis of local and Chinese representations of Collection of articles Barcelona 35 Article 1 Co-authorship networks and 163 Part III thematic development in Chinese General discussion and outbound tourism research conclusions 165 Dissertation overview 65 Article 2 166 Summary of results Chinese tourism in Spain: An 168 Theoretical implications analysis of the tourism product 171 Managerial and practical implications attractions and itineraries offered by 174 Limitations and future research areas Chinese travel agencies 179 Concluding remarks 183 Addendum 91 Article 3 185 Resumen [Abstract] Segmentation by experiential 187 Scientific Production familiarity and travel mode of the 189 Co-authorship statement Chinese outbound market to Spain 191 About the author Preface Now my restless mind is eager to wander, now my feet grow stronger, happy in their eagerness. Farewell, sweet crowd of comrades, who set out together from home far away, and whom different roads bring back by different ways. Catullus, 1st Century CAN Preface Abstract China is the top source market, in terms of both numbers of tourists and interna- tional tourism expenditure. The growth of tourism in China is one of the most ex- citing phenomena that have occurred in recent years. However, understanding Chinese tourists is a challenge for Western destinations. The main objective of this thesis is to improve our understanding of Chinese tourism in Spain. To this end, five practical approaches are generated here. The specific research objectives are to: (1) review the existing literature; (2) interpret the tourist product; (3) under- stand the tourist behavior; (4) know the characteristics of the main sources of tour- ism information; and (5) identify the image of the destination. This thesis consists of a compendium of publications. There are three main parts: the general introduction (Part I); five articles (Part II); and the discussion and gen- eral conclusions (Part III). From a quasi-positivist philosophical position, all the articles are approached with quantitative data and methodologies. An inductive method has been followed (not based on previous hypotheses, but on research ob- jectives). The design of the research is empirical, and the research strategy is the case study. Two techniques are used for data extraction (web scraping and sur- veys), which have been analyzed mostly with quantitative techniques. After analyzing the past 10 years’ research production on Chinese outbound tour- ism, the results of Article 1 reveal that the main networks of scientific collaboration are built around four authors. The findings also identify and explain six thematic clusters of research: tourist behavior; policies and impacts; industry development; consumer segments; services; and cultural values and tourism. The analysis of the products offered by Chinese travel agencies (Article 2) finds patterns and similar- ities in tourism itineraries. The main cities visited are Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Toledo, Mijas, Ronda and Córdoba. The product is formulated through cultural and experiential dimensions. The cultural dimension is formed by history, culture, and architecture. The experiential dimension is formed by the convenience of an organized trip, the tour guide and the services offered. 11 Article 3 defines the Chinese tourist’s demographic profile, motivations and satis- faction with the destination. The results show that, overall, the Chinese tourist is firstly motivated by novelty and relaxation on their trip to Spain and, secondly, by heritage and culture. However, tourists that visit Spain for the third time are more motivated by the climate, nature, and shopping than by the culture and heritage. After analyzing the websites of four types of information providers, the results of Article 4 show the positioning of sources in online search engines. The findings also show the profiles of density, diversity and domains of information. Blogs are the most diverse and rich sources of information, followed by travel guides and Barcelona Turisme. In contrast, travel agencies tend to be more repetitive. Article 5 proposes a conceptual framework for understanding the fragmentation of the tourist image. The results show that, for Barcelona Turisme, the image of Barcelona is built on the concept of public space, elements of local art, tangible and intangible culture, festivities and sports. In contrast, Chinese sources have a much more traditional and limited image (based on Gaudí). The general discussion and conclusion (Part III) includes a discussion of the results, the academic and practi- cal implications, limitations, and future areas of research. As shown in this last part, the methods and theoretical bases contributed by this dissertation are also applicable to other