A cultural framing of nature: Chinese tourists' motivations for, expectations of, and satisfaction with their New Zealand tourist experience

Abstract

Over the past decade, the Chinese holiday market has become very important to the New Zealand tourism industry, and now represents its fourth largest source of visitors. Understanding Chinese tourist motivations for, expectations of, and satisfaction with their tourism experience is, therefore, crucial for the future development of the market. Existing research suggests that for Chinese visitors, like other market segments, the natural landscape has a big influence over the decision to travel to New Zealand. There is an emerging concern, however, that the country‘s tourism product must diversify if it is to continue to attract an increasingly sophisticated and discerning market, and attention is now shifting to utilize the appeal of culture and heritage attractions in New Zealand, particularly those centred on Māori cultural products. This paper reports on research into Chinese tourists‘ motivations, expectations and behaviour with respect to their travel in New Zealand. Particular emphasis is given to an exploration of the relative importance of nature and culture to Chinese tourists in New Zealand. Data were collected via a self-completed questionnaire administered to 181 Chinese tourists visiting Queenstown. The findings suggest that the Chinese market may be particularly suited to a culturally-oriented experience of New Zealand, but one based less on Māori culture as it is often portrayed to tourists (e.g. cultural performances, experiencing a hangi), and more on the opportunities to learn about Māori stories and legends as part of visiting natural environments. The implications of these findings for shaping the Chinese tourist gaze in New Zealand are discussed.