Contemporary experiences of Chinese tourists in Italy: An on-site analysis in Milan

• A holistic analysis of on-site tourist experiences;
• A focus on the growing Chinese outbound market;
• Differences between Chinese independent travellers and group tour participants;
• Offers timely implications to Milan and its preparation for the 2015 World Expo.

This exploratory research used insights from studies of the experience economy to explore Chinese tourists' on-site involvement in a western iconic site — the Duomo and the Piazza in Milan. It adopted a holistic approach and assessed Chinese tourists' on-site sensory, affective, cognitive and activity based responses as well as their relationship experiences. Informal interviews and a follow-up questionnaire based survey were conducted. Findings from this study add specific detail to the currently limited information about on-site experiences, and particularly the Chinese views of key attractions. The analysis of the data also examined the varied experiences of the Chinese independent tourists and their counterparts on group tours. The independent tourists spent a larger amount of time in the space and attended to more detail, but were less positive and somewhat more critical of the site features and local interaction. Specific items of concern at the site offer management implications for the city of Milan which will host the World Expo in 2015.