Outbound Chinese tourism: looking back and looking forward

Tourism academics, practitioners, governments and agencies around the world are in general agreement about the future of tourism in the ‘Asian Century’ of a Post-Western World. As late as 2001, Meethan positioned tourism as ‘a redefining arm of the Westernization of the world’ (Hollinshead, 2008, p. 641), but as the century advances this power has shifted eastward. This movement is due to the entry of the largest tourism source market the world has seen: Outbound Chinese tourism. Chinese outbound tourism has been the most influential new social and economic phenomenon in recent years experiencing consistent rapid growth and promising economic boons to destinations that receive these tourists.