Generational perspective on consumer behavior: China's potential outbound tourist market

This study represents a pioneering attempt to explore tourist consumer behaviors (motivations, information sources, destination choices, travel activity preferences and destination evaluation criteria) in China's potential outbound market from a generational perspective. Targeting all of China, we recruited a sample of 4047 respondents covering five generations: the Firm Communist Generation (FCG), the Lost Generation (LG), the Reform and Opening-up Generation (ROG), the Only-child Generation (OG), and the Globalist Generation (GG) to perform Chi-square, ANOVA tests and Correspondence Analysis. The results demonstrate significant differences and some similarities in tourist behaviors among generations. Through empirical investigation, this study supports and expands generation theory from an Eastern country perspective, and provides useful information for researchers and practitioners.