Backpacker Tourism: Theoretical And Empirical Study Based On China

As one of the fashionable independent travel forms, backpacker travel has become a favorite travel pattern for those who are capable of traveling independently. Explosive internet information and fine outdoor outfit pushes growing numbers of backpackers marching towards the unknown world. It is impossible for domestic academics to ignore the research of backpacker tourism. However, little has done so far in the backpacking ground, no matter in academic, business or government circle. This study fills up the blank by initiating China's systematic research on backpacker tourism. The author at one hand attempts to constructs theory frameworks of backpacker tourism, while at other hand, provides solutions for the governmental decision and countermeasures in developing China's backpacker tourism.The dissertation cuts into nine chapters. The first chapter is an introduction leads to the research background and reveals the research aim and its significance. The second chapter reviews the literature of backpacker tourism research, going over their theoretical perspectives and generalizing what they have missed. The third chapter determines the method and framework of the study. Chapter four defines what is backpacker tourist and backpacker tourism, and distinguishes different concepts close to backpacker tourist. It overviews the history and spatial distribution of the international backpacker tourism, followed by tracing back China's backpacking history and destination distribution. The chapter ends in comparing the distinctiveness of China's backpacker tourism and the international backpacker tourism, in terms of history background, tourist flow and industry guidance. Chapter five is a key part in the study. Relied on the data collected by the author and offered by various international tourism organizations, the chapter makes an exhaustive analysis on backpackers- the international backpacker tourist, including China's overseas backpacker tourist, and China's domestic backpacker tourist, with regard to their demographics and psychographics, and compares the two groups. Chapter six continues to refine the characteristics of backpacker tourists and their influence in general. It identifies the backpacker's market significance to China. Chapter seven narrows down the backpacker influence from general to specific. It focuses on the case study in Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking route, discussing what impact backpacker tourists have brought to the local community. Chapter eight provides countermeasures to develop China's backpacker tourism. Chapter nine sums up the achievements of the research, and presents the issues that need to be further studied. What worth to mention is, it is not a simple summary of each chapter's major statement, but a purified conclusion upon chewing over every chapter.What could be counted as the innovation of the study lies in the following areas. Firstly, it boasts an innovative topic. Backpacker tourism is a brand-new research area in China. The study opens up a small window in the domestic human geography and tourism research disciplines- what shines behind the window is the application of the social research and cultural research approaches in both fields. Secondly, it processes innovative research approaches and methods. The study mainly dominated by sociology and anthropology approaches, and cooperated by the perspectives of geography and market science, which is very rare in the domestic tourism and human geography research. Nevertheless, the sociology and anthropology approaches are widely used in the similar research in western society. What makes this study unique is that, in this specialized backpacker research area, it is the first attempt to combine the quantitative method with qualitative research, synchronic investigation with diachronic investigation, and comparative study with contextual analysis, whilst attaining an encouraging attitude toward the development of the host society all along. Thirdly, the content innovates. It is one of those backpacker studies carried by native researcher in developing countries, and centered on their native backpackers, thus it enlarges the research scope of the theme. The most important conclusions of the study are listed below. (1) The modification of tourism acculturation theory. When tourists are those who respect the host society and traditional culture of the community, the influence of the foreign culture will strengthen the reconstruction and recognition of a certain ethnic group. Backpacker tourists are such positive power that consolidates the local cohesion and centrality, and promotes the favorable development of the tourist destination. (2)Cultural confidence could partly replace the presupposition of disposable income; work and leisure are not necessarily two sides of a coin. The cultural confidence of the backpacker tourists and their traveling abilities stemming from the cultural confidence, enable the backpacker tourists to travel without much money. Working holiday makers and traveling workers challenge the basic tourism theory that leisure time and disposable income are the prerequisites of traveling. (3)Backpackers' active and laying-back activities control their journey by turns, and their routes shift from town to village with their footsteps deep into grass-roots communities. Their hot destinations concentrate in the remoteness of mid and west China. They're the promoter of the remote countries. (4)Backpacker tourist group is a tourist group of huge market value. Their economic and social behavior characteristics also have great significance for China's tourism economy and social development. Therefore, backpacker tourists should be positioned as China's pioneering tourist market. The government should steer China's backpacker tourist market from spontaneous to conscious development. The supportive system of China's backpacker tourism should be established strategically and tactically. As to the order of backpacker market development policy, international backpacker tourists from developed countries should be the targeted market of priority. (5)Backpacker tourism is the best alternative for developing the less developed areas of high-class landscape resources and poor infrastructure. With personal host-guest interaction, backpacker tourists cultivate the rural community elites. Under the influence of backpacker tourists and community elites, the local community is comprehensively advanced economically, culturally, and conceptually, meanwhile the foreign culture integration capacity of the community starts to be established. Backpacker tourist group is the propeller of the local community, which assists the local to fulfill their capacity building and get away from physical and conceptual poverty.