Outbound Tourism and Chinese-Style modernity: a reflexive study to the Chinese Tourists in Thailand

Abstract

Over the last few decades, the growing number of Chinese tourists traveling internationally has had a significant influence on tourist destinations all over the world. As China’s most popular overseas travel destination, Thailand is among the countries most affected. This thesis examines Chinese outbound tourism and, specifically, Chinese outbound tourists to Thailand, and addresses issues surrounding the development of tourism between China and Thailand, including improvements in quality and tourism governance on both sides. There are three research objectives: (1) to study the roles of China outbound tourism and Chinese tourists and how they intersect with state policies driven by international relations; (2) to analyze the effects on local Thai communities of engaging with the rises and falls of China’s outbound tourism; (3) to contribute policy recommendations and refresh conceptual knowledge through the case of China outbound tourism. This thesis is a work of social scientific research with the analysis framed by the theoretical concepts of Chinese modernity and mobility studies. Mobility studies are used to assess the state of the international tourism industry, while theories of Chinese and Chinese-style modernity are situated within the context of two intersecting dimensions of Chinese outbound tourism: regulations on Chinese outbound tourism with Chinese characteristics at the national level, and Chinese tourists at the individual level. The study adopts a qualitative method, applying participant observation, in-depth interviews, and public policy analysis. The three main data sources are (1) fieldwork conducted in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand from 2017 to 2020, which provides substantial information about Chinese outbound tourists and several aspects of the local response; (2) content from Chinese websites and social media from 2020 to 2021, which is used to analyze opinions and attitudes of Chinese outbound travelers toward (im)mobility and Thailand as a destination; (3) tourism policy documents from Thailand and China, which are analyzed for insights into public policy making. The headline finding of the study is that Chinese outbound tourism and Chinese tourists travelling to Thailand reflect a Chinese-style modernity associated with China’s dynamic growth and the “benevolent authority” of its tourism governance, thus exhibiting to some degree China’s uniqueness. The three main findings are as follows. First, compared with the past, Chinese outbound tourists are now perceived as more modernized, gradually more sophisticated in their travelling and travel management, exhibiting better manners, and more demanding of a higher quality of tourism service. However, there is some degree of uniqueness in the type of modern subject that Chinese tourists are gradually becoming. Chinese tourists are not operating independently in a Western sense; instead, they achieve a degree of freedom within a communal framework in which their families and the central government instruct their travel in accordance with the guidelines and directions defined by national policy. Considering China’s national direction, Chinese outbound tourists thus exhibit a degree of uniqueness that can be termed “Chinese-style modernity.” Second, this Chinese-style modernity is also evident in the lifestyle mobility that now plays an important role in Chinese tourism and travel. Both the structure and agency approach to the expansion of Chinese institutions and the phenomenon of Chinese overseas tourism can make use of the concept of Chinese-style modernity. The theoretical implication is that the life experiences of Chinese outbound tourists and the phenomenon of Chinese outbound tourism are inextricably linked to mobility mindsets that are open to research conducted within the “new mobility” paradigm. Third, the rises and falls of Chinese outbound tourism to Thailand have had great positive and negative impacts on the Thai economy and locality. Especially during COVID-19, there has been a paradox of mobility in Chinese outbound tourism. Furthermore, the discussion based on mobility studies contributes to the creation of three interconnected theoretical notions: tourist sustainability, resilience, and scenario planning. This thesis suggests that the Thai and Chinese states are lacking in their consideration of these three notions, and the co-governance of Chinese tourism to Thailand can be enhanced by both the Thai and Chinese governments seeking to improve tourism quality with a focus on mutual benefits.