Beyond borders, within minds: how visa liberalisation reshapes geographical imaginations and travel intentions among diaspora tourists

This study examines how visa liberalisation reshapes geographical imagination and travel intentions among diaspora tourists to China. Drawing on Construal Level Theory, we conceptualise visa facilitation as a cue that reduces hypothetical distance and triggers cognitive processing across before-travel, during-travel, and after-travel phases. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we first conducted 28 in-depth interviews to elicit phase-specific mechanisms and measurement items, then tested the model with 391 survey responses using PLS-SEM. Results show that perceived visa facilitation and social media exposure significantly increase construal closeness before travel, while expectation disconfirmation and in-travel affect further strengthen closeness during travel. However, closeness does not translate into a more positive destination image in any phase, suggesting decoupled proximity and evaluative valence. Moreover, destination image predicts intention positively before and during travel but turns negative after travel, consistent with post-trip closure and saturation. Education and smartphone proficiency shape who converts policy access into mobility. Critically, while visa liberalisation removes formal entry barriers, China’s app-based digital infrastructures (mobile payment, real-name verification) generate new, post-arrival forms of exclusion – a digital divide that shapes who can convert policy access into a seamless visit.