The Motivations and Experiences of Young Chinese Self-Drive Tourists

Self-driving travel has been a popular choice for Chinese tourists for more than a decade, and with the rapid expansion of outbound travel, many Chinese tourists now participate in self-driving tours overseas. Differing from its Western counterpart, the Chinese self-driving market is nevertheless underresearched. This chapter presents the characteristics of young Chinese outbound travellers and their motivations and experiences in undertaking self-driving tours. Using in-depth interviews and focus groups, this study targeted Chinese outbound travellers in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to explore the motivations and experiences of self-driving tourists. A qualitative content analysis was conducted, and the results show that most of the self-driving tourists are sophisticated travellers who are interested in unique landscapes and local lifestyles, among other tourist activities. Young Chinese self-drive travellers have shown motivations and behaviours that differ from those of the older generation of Chinese tourists and their Western counterparts. The findings have implications for destination marketers and tour operators who are serving the growing Chinese tourist market.