ABSTRACT
Mainland China has become increasingly integrated into the global economy. Reforms spearheaded by the Chinese government have prompted increased marketization. The affluence and mobility acquired by the Chinese middle class are a stark counter-image to the austere, immobile nature of Chinese society in the past. Commentators have noted that consumption behaviour in China should be seen in the context of change (Gerth 2010; Yu 2014). Rising aspirations have accompanied the improvement of material conditions, thus stimulating the growing popularity of pleasure travel. Tourism has become an emblem of personal identity and a symbol of cosmopolitanism.
