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Lifestyle Migrant Tourism Entrepreneurship on Hainan Island: Chinese Family Perspectives

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Thesis(35.81 MB)

Date

2025

Authors

Supervisor

Schänzel, Heike
Liu, Claire
Aquino, Richard

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

This research project is about lifestyle migrant tourism entrepreneurship (LMTE) on Hainan Island in China. Hainan Island has become a popular place for Chinese families from the mainland to migrate for entrepreneurial reasons. This study explores how Chinese families are embedded within lifestyle migration and the tourism entrepreneurial process and how this goes beyond the Western definition of ‘family’ and ‘tourism entrepreneurs’. First, this study conceptualises LMTE from a Chinese lifestyle entrepreneurship perspective and extends the concept to family involvement and lifestyle migration. Second, the motivations behind lifestyle migration, the path to the tourism business, and family experience are studied with eight LMTE families. Tourism scholars recently turned their attention to families, specifically children’s experiences—and yet, research illustrating children’s perspectives in tourism family entrepreneurship is missing. Social researchers are encouraged to include children’s voices to reveal their lived experiences rather than considering them too vulnerable to be interviewed. For this qualitative study, underpinned by constructivist epistemology, a combination of methods was adopted to create a toolbox suitable for family research, including children’s voices through whole-family interviews and Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) workshops. Data collection was tailored for Chinese families and was implemented through semi-structured interviews with the individual entrepreneurs and group interviews with the entrepreneurs’ families. Thirty-seven participants were involved, and 15 were children aged six to 17. Family data was collected at Old Dad Teahouses (or Laobacha in Chinese) using culturally sensitive methods. The methodological toolbox allowed an understanding of the scholarship on tourism entrepreneurship from a Chinese cultural perspective by providing insight into the experiences of children from LMTE families, providing agency to the children. As an inductive study, two major data analysis methods were used in this research: thematic and narrative analysis underpinned by critical discourse analysis to help refine the themes. The results showed that the motivations driving Chinese families to relocate to Hainan for tourism entrepreneurial ventures add a new lens to existing tourism studies. The involvement of their families encourages LMTErs to work hard while simultaneously pursuing work-life balance and an aspirational lifestyle. Families and individuals may hold diverse viewpoints about their experiences after migrating to Hainan, yet notable shared perspectives and experiences exist, and family relationships are nurtured during the migration and entrepreneurial processes. This study sheds light on how LMTE families navigate the complexities of migration and entrepreneurship, elucidating the complex aspects of their experiences. By addressing both the prior motivations and the entrepreneurial journeys of these families, this study presents a holistic view of the LMTE phenomenon, demonstrating the uniqueness of LMTE in a Chinese setting, and revealing the family experiences by including all family members. It offers conceptual and theoretical insights into understanding lifestyle migrant tourism entrepreneurs and their families in Chinese society and culture. This research project serves as a beacon in the burgeoning field of LMTE. Its unique blend of qualitative methodologies, encompassing individual and family perspectives, opens avenues for future research while emphasising the need for tailored support mechanisms and policy interventions. As the entrepreneurial landscape continues to evolve against the backdrop of migration, this research project lays a foundation for a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of the intricate tapestry woven by those families who embark on the journey of lifestyle migration entrepreneurship.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10292/19039

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Doctoral Theses