Travel Motivations of Mainland Chinese Travelers to the United States

Abstract

The U.S.-bound Chinese market has demonstrated great potential for growth, especially after the two countries reached the approved destination status (ADS) agreement in December 2007. The objective of this study was to investigate potential Chinese travelers' motivations to visit the United States. The study identified five factors that may motivate potential Chinese travelers to visit the United States, including ego enhancement, international exposure, communication opportunities, financial incentives, and destination stimuli. This study also examined the differences in each motivation factor among potential Chinese travelers with different sociodemographic backgrounds, suggesting significant relationships between travel motivations and sociodemographic factors. The findings contribute to tourism literature on the emerging Chinese outbound market and have practical implications for targeting this promising market.

对美国来说，中国市场有很大的增长潜力，特别是两国在二零零七年十二月达成旅游目的地国协议后。本研究旨在调查潜在的中国旅客到访美国的旅游动机，并发现了五个因素，包括自我增值，国际视野，交流的机会，财政鼓励和目的地刺激。此外，本文亦探讨了各动机因素在不同社会人口背景下的差异，提出旅游动机和社会人口因素有重要的关系。研究结果有助完善新兴的中国出境旅游市场的文献，并为发展这一庞大市场提供了启示。

Keywords:

• Chinese outbound market
• the United States
• travel motivation
• demographics

Keywords:

• 中国出境旅游市场，美国，旅游动机，人口统计