Australian Studies in China
A CULTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE CHINESE TOURISTS ON THE AUSTRALIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY 赴澳中国游客对澳大利亚旅游业影响的文化分析
Abstract
To most Chinese people, Australia is a country that seems so familiar yet so strange. The image of the Sydney Opera House, kangaroos, and koalas can be seen more than often through various media in China. In April 2008, Kevin Rudd, the current Prime Minister of Australia visited China and delivered a speech in Peking University in fluent and educated Mandarin. His speech not only impressed our top intellectuals, but also intrigued widespread online debate on the mutual understanding between Australia and China.
In the past decades, the Chinese people’s knowledge of Australia has remained as it was in the 1980s. Publications on Australian matters focused more on the facts that Australia is primarily a country dependent on its exports of mineral ore and pastoral farming products. Such being true, it is still worth pointing out that the Australian society is also dependent on a third supporting industry, namely, the tourism industry. Unfortunately, hardly enough attention was given to the study of Australia’s tourism industry. This was especially so within the academic circle.
As a master degree candidate in Australian cultural studies, the researcher believes that the examination of the tourism industry could help further the comprehension of the Australian society as a whole, since the tourism industry consists of virtually all sectors of the society. Through personal communications with Australian guests, the researcher realises that the Australian tourism industry serves more than just an economic polar for the society; its very commencement, existence, and development are all closely tied up to the society. Based on such thinking, the researcher developed the hypothesis of this research project by initially comparing two television advertisements for the Australia tourism industry. The sharp contrast between the two advertisements—the shift of focal market from the USA to the whole world—intrigued the preliminary hypothesis which is that such changes within the tourism industry were by and large responses to changes in the whole society. Further thinking led to the hypothesis that if the previous situation were true, then these transformations must have influenced inbound Chinese tourists to Australia, which in turn would influence the Chinese people’s understanding of the Australian society.
To test those hypotheses, the researcher designed the research project to be an empirical study with emphasis on the characteristics of the Australian tourism industry. However, as the research progressed, the researcher found it is necessary to expand the theoretical framework into interdisciplinary fields, thus resulted in this thesis a combination of theories from historical, sociological, and globalisation studies. The subject under scrutiny also extended from the tourism industry per se to the Australian society in general.
As an overall structure of this thesis, the researcher adopted Erik Cohen’s sociological approach. The study was divided into four major parts: the examination of the characteristics of the tourists; the relationship between tourists and locals; the structure and functionality of the tourism industry; and the consequences of tourism.
In the first chapter, the purposes of study were briefly explained. The second section of this chapter defined the concepts of tourism and the tourism industry; then it introduced three major theories that apply to the cultural studies of the tourism industry, which are the visual cultural studies theory, the representation of the “Other ,” and post-tourism theory by John Urry. To serve as the foundation of following discussions, this chapter also described the methodologies used in this research—literature review, interviews, and observation.
In accordance with Cohen’s approach, the second chapter began with investigations on the characteristics of generic tourism behaviours. Then it narrowed the focus of the discussion down to the outbound Chinese tourists, and eventually connected the Chinese tourists with the Australian tourism industry.
The researcher has modified the sequence of Cohen’s approach and conducted investigations on the structure and functionality of the Australian tourism industry ahead of the discussions on tourist-local relationships. Chapter three analysed the strength and vulnerability of the Australian tourism society, and it also probed into further questions as to the transformation and continuity as depicted in current conditions of the Australian tourism industry. As the major chapter of this thesis, the discussions were conducted in reference to the hypotheses raised in the first part of the thesis. The researcher has also endeavoured to structure a balanced analysis during comparison processes.
Following the above chapters, chapter four assumed the responsibility of finishing the discussions of the remaining aspects—the tourist-local relationship and the consequence of tourism. The discussions of tourist-local relationship were based on the norm of inbound Chinese tourists to Australia. The discussions of the consequence of such tourism were woven into the same process.
In conclusion, this research project found that the original hypotheses were true to the de facto situation. The Australian tourism industry has indeed undergone changes that were marked by its shift from a Western focus to a global orientation. It is equally noteworthy that such changes were responses to both domestic and international changes in political, economic, and cultural spheres. Further more, this study took the point of view that Australia will see a steady increase of inbound Chinese tourists in the next decade, but this will be a direct result of economic impact rather than of improved mutual understanding. If the Australian tourism industry’s promotional efforts could not succeed in building an image of cultural distinction when facing their potential Chinese customers, it will inevitably run into crisis in its long-term development.
论文摘要
澳大利亚是一个中国人既熟悉又陌生的国家。在生活中，人们通过不同的渠道，不同的媒介，总能看到悉尼歌剧院、袋鼠、还有考拉。2008年4月，现任澳大利亚总理陆克文（Kevin Rudd）访华，其流利的中文演讲震惊了在座的北大师生。这在国内的诸多网站论坛上引起了不小的震动，很多人在问为什么一个远在万里之外的国家的领导人竟然能如此了解中国？相比之下，我们又了解澳大利亚多少呢？
多年来，中国民众，包括学术界在内，对澳大利亚的认识都停留在了上世纪八九十年代的水平。很多介绍澳大利亚的著述都侧重于强调澳大利亚是一个发达国家，其经济发展依赖于矿产原料以及畜牧业的出口。虽然这两种产业仍占澳大利亚国民生产总值的很大比重，但是其经济组成部分中还有另一支柱产业——旅游业。这也正是国内学者很少关注的问题。
作为研习澳大利亚文化的研究生，本文的作者认为旅游业作为一种涉及到全社会各行业的综合性产业，对其进行研究，有着窥一斑而见全豹的功效。在多次与澳大利亚来访的客人交流之后，本文作者更坚定地认为旅游业在澳大利亚社会中不仅仅是一种经济的存在，其产生，生存，与发展都与整个社会紧密相连。最早使作者意识到这种相互作用力的是对澳大利亚旅游局在不同的历史时期投放的两则广告进行的对比。其中鲜明的差异引发了本文的研究设想，即澳大利亚旅游业自二十世纪八十年代至今，已经由一个只面向西方发达国家的旅游目的地转变为了一个国际化的目的地。进一步的设想则认为旅游业的这种转变源自于社会的根本转变。更进一步地思考则是要探讨如果以上的设想是切合实际的，那么澳大利亚旅游业必然对入境中国游客产生影响，从而也将影响中国人对澳大利亚的认识。
作为检验以上设想的手段，作者开展了一项为期半年左右的实证研究。整个研究过程一直在围绕澳大利亚旅游业的特征进行。但作者也在这个过程中发现，将旅游业放置到文化研究的显微镜下仔细观察的学者微乎其微，因而作者也将研究的理论基础扩大到了历史学的，社会学的，全球化的，甚至后现代主义的理论框架之中。研究的对象也从旅游业本体扩展到了整个澳大利亚社会。
作为本文的框架，作者借用了社会学家科恩（Cohen）的体系。即从研究“旅行者本体特征”，“游客与目的地居民关系”，“目的地旅游业特征”，以及“旅游业的影响”四个方面对研究对象及研究设想所涉及的问题进行了探讨。
文章的第一章首先介绍了写作的动机以及研究项目启动的原因。由于研究属于实证性质，因此本文将理论基础部分简要地包含在第一章中。理论基础中包含对“旅游”及“旅游业”的定义，对最常见的应用于旅游业文化研究的“视觉文化”及“对‘它者’的构建”理论进行了陈述，同时介绍了厄里（Urry）的“后现代旅游”理论。作为文章的基石章节，本章同时也陈述了整个研究项目中所采用的方法论。因为本文广为采纳社会学的理论框架，因此在方法论上也借鉴了社会学，尤其是实证研究中常见的文献研究、个人访谈、实地考察等方法。
按照预先的设计，正文的第二章起始于对“旅游者本体特征”的讨论。首先探讨了不具备任何国家属性的“旅游者”进行国际旅行的动机。在此基础上进一步将概念的界定缩小到中国出境旅行者。最终把中国出境旅行者与澳大利亚旅游业关联在一起。
鉴于本文的核心是对澳大利亚旅游业的研究，作者将对“目的地旅游业特征”放在第三章进行讨论。作者认为对澳大利亚旅游业的清晰认识有助于进一步探讨“旅游者与目的地居民关系”。同时本章作为全文的重点，对澳大利亚旅游业现状进行了深入分析，一则陈述其优势，一则指出其薄弱之处。更重要的是本章节将研究目标由旅游业本体扩展到旅游业的载体，即澳大利亚社会，从透过对社会的变迁分析了澳大利亚旅游业的变迁。在这一阶段的研究过程中，作者发现澳大利亚旅游业并非全盘变更，因此专用一节陈述了其保有的历史特征和优势。
在以上讨论的基础上，作者将研究的对象具体化到入境澳大利亚的中国游客身上。通过对中澳双方的文献的再研究，第四章首先陈述了这一特殊群体的统计学特征。再通过原定的理论基础，深入分析了入境中国游客对澳大利亚的文化理解（或非理解）。
综合主体讨论章节中的内容，作者总结认为，原研究设想是可以成立的。即澳大利亚旅游业确实发生了转变，从其原来倾向于西方发达国家转向了全球化，甚至亚洲化的方向。这样的转变在很大程度上受制于全球政治、经济、文化格局的变动，更受到澳大利亚社会本身变革的影响。在面向中国游客的情况下，澳大利亚在未来的十年仍能享受巨大的客源，但是这样的增长并非建立在双方对彼此深刻的文化认识上。中国游客目前对于出境目的地的选择并不理性，很大程度上是受到经济诱因的促使。澳大利亚对中国游客进行的宣传活动除了传统的手段不能推陈出新，尤其是不能在其文化领域独占鳌头。建立在如此基础上的增长，在长远看来并不乐观。
In the past decades, the Chinese people’s knowledge of Australia has remained as it was in the 1980s. Publications on Australian matters focused more on the facts that Australia is primarily a country dependent on its exports of mineral ore and pastoral farming products. Such being true, it is still worth pointing out that the Australian society is also dependent on a third supporting industry, namely, the tourism industry. Unfortunately, hardly enough attention was given to the study of Australia’s tourism industry. This was especially so within the academic circle.
As a master degree candidate in Australian cultural studies, the researcher believes that the examination of the tourism industry could help further the comprehension of the Australian society as a whole, since the tourism industry consists of virtually all sectors of the society. Through personal communications with Australian guests, the researcher realises that the Australian tourism industry serves more than just an economic polar for the society; its very commencement, existence, and development are all closely tied up to the society. Based on such thinking, the researcher developed the hypothesis of this research project by initially comparing two television advertisements for the Australia tourism industry. The sharp contrast between the two advertisements—the shift of focal market from the USA to the whole world—intrigued the preliminary hypothesis which is that such changes within the tourism industry were by and large responses to changes in the whole society. Further thinking led to the hypothesis that if the previous situation were true, then these transformations must have influenced inbound Chinese tourists to Australia, which in turn would influence the Chinese people’s understanding of the Australian society.
To test those hypotheses, the researcher designed the research project to be an empirical study with emphasis on the characteristics of the Australian tourism industry. However, as the research progressed, the researcher found it is necessary to expand the theoretical framework into interdisciplinary fields, thus resulted in this thesis a combination of theories from historical, sociological, and globalisation studies. The subject under scrutiny also extended from the tourism industry per se to the Australian society in general.
As an overall structure of this thesis, the researcher adopted Erik Cohen’s sociological approach. The study was divided into four major parts: the examination of the characteristics of the tourists; the relationship between tourists and locals; the structure and functionality of the tourism industry; and the consequences of tourism.
In the first chapter, the purposes of study were briefly explained. The second section of this chapter defined the concepts of tourism and the tourism industry; then it introduced three major theories that apply to the cultural studies of the tourism industry, which are the visual cultural studies theory, the representation of the “Other ,” and post-tourism theory by John Urry. To serve as the foundation of following discussions, this chapter also described the methodologies used in this research—literature review, interviews, and observation.
In accordance with Cohen’s approach, the second chapter began with investigations on the characteristics of generic tourism behaviours. Then it narrowed the focus of the discussion down to the outbound Chinese tourists, and eventually connected the Chinese tourists with the Australian tourism industry.
The researcher has modified the sequence of Cohen’s approach and conducted investigations on the structure and functionality of the Australian tourism industry ahead of the discussions on tourist-local relationships. Chapter three analysed the strength and vulnerability of the Australian tourism society, and it also probed into further questions as to the transformation and continuity as depicted in current conditions of the Australian tourism industry. As the major chapter of this thesis, the discussions were conducted in reference to the hypotheses raised in the first part of the thesis. The researcher has also endeavoured to structure a balanced analysis during comparison processes.
Following the above chapters, chapter four assumed the responsibility of finishing the discussions of the remaining aspects—the tourist-local relationship and the consequence of tourism. The discussions of tourist-local relationship were based on the norm of inbound Chinese tourists to Australia. The discussions of the consequence of such tourism were woven into the same process.
In conclusion, this research project found that the original hypotheses were true to the de facto situation. The Australian tourism industry has indeed undergone changes that were marked by its shift from a Western focus to a global orientation. It is equally noteworthy that such changes were responses to both domestic and international changes in political, economic, and cultural spheres. Further more, this study took the point of view that Australia will see a steady increase of inbound Chinese tourists in the next decade, but this will be a direct result of economic impact rather than of improved mutual understanding. If the Australian tourism industry’s promotional efforts could not succeed in building an image of cultural distinction when facing their potential Chinese customers, it will inevitably run into crisis in its long-term development.
论文摘要
澳大利亚是一个中国人既熟悉又陌生的国家。在生活中，人们通过不同的渠道，不同的媒介，总能看到悉尼歌剧院、袋鼠、还有考拉。2008年4月，现任澳大利亚总理陆克文（Kevin Rudd）访华，其流利的中文演讲震惊了在座的北大师生。这在国内的诸多网站论坛上引起了不小的震动，很多人在问为什么一个远在万里之外的国家的领导人竟然能如此了解中国？相比之下，我们又了解澳大利亚多少呢？
多年来，中国民众，包括学术界在内，对澳大利亚的认识都停留在了上世纪八九十年代的水平。很多介绍澳大利亚的著述都侧重于强调澳大利亚是一个发达国家，其经济发展依赖于矿产原料以及畜牧业的出口。虽然这两种产业仍占澳大利亚国民生产总值的很大比重，但是其经济组成部分中还有另一支柱产业——旅游业。这也正是国内学者很少关注的问题。
作为研习澳大利亚文化的研究生，本文的作者认为旅游业作为一种涉及到全社会各行业的综合性产业，对其进行研究，有着窥一斑而见全豹的功效。在多次与澳大利亚来访的客人交流之后，本文作者更坚定地认为旅游业在澳大利亚社会中不仅仅是一种经济的存在，其产生，生存，与发展都与整个社会紧密相连。最早使作者意识到这种相互作用力的是对澳大利亚旅游局在不同的历史时期投放的两则广告进行的对比。其中鲜明的差异引发了本文的研究设想，即澳大利亚旅游业自二十世纪八十年代至今，已经由一个只面向西方发达国家的旅游目的地转变为了一个国际化的目的地。进一步的设想则认为旅游业的这种转变源自于社会的根本转变。更进一步地思考则是要探讨如果以上的设想是切合实际的，那么澳大利亚旅游业必然对入境中国游客产生影响，从而也将影响中国人对澳大利亚的认识。
作为检验以上设想的手段，作者开展了一项为期半年左右的实证研究。整个研究过程一直在围绕澳大利亚旅游业的特征进行。但作者也在这个过程中发现，将旅游业放置到文化研究的显微镜下仔细观察的学者微乎其微，因而作者也将研究的理论基础扩大到了历史学的，社会学的，全球化的，甚至后现代主义的理论框架之中。研究的对象也从旅游业本体扩展到了整个澳大利亚社会。
作为本文的框架，作者借用了社会学家科恩（Cohen）的体系。即从研究“旅行者本体特征”，“游客与目的地居民关系”，“目的地旅游业特征”，以及“旅游业的影响”四个方面对研究对象及研究设想所涉及的问题进行了探讨。
文章的第一章首先介绍了写作的动机以及研究项目启动的原因。由于研究属于实证性质，因此本文将理论基础部分简要地包含在第一章中。理论基础中包含对“旅游”及“旅游业”的定义，对最常见的应用于旅游业文化研究的“视觉文化”及“对‘它者’的构建”理论进行了陈述，同时介绍了厄里（Urry）的“后现代旅游”理论。作为文章的基石章节，本章同时也陈述了整个研究项目中所采用的方法论。因为本文广为采纳社会学的理论框架，因此在方法论上也借鉴了社会学，尤其是实证研究中常见的文献研究、个人访谈、实地考察等方法。
按照预先的设计，正文的第二章起始于对“旅游者本体特征”的讨论。首先探讨了不具备任何国家属性的“旅游者”进行国际旅行的动机。在此基础上进一步将概念的界定缩小到中国出境旅行者。最终把中国出境旅行者与澳大利亚旅游业关联在一起。
鉴于本文的核心是对澳大利亚旅游业的研究，作者将对“目的地旅游业特征”放在第三章进行讨论。作者认为对澳大利亚旅游业的清晰认识有助于进一步探讨“旅游者与目的地居民关系”。同时本章作为全文的重点，对澳大利亚旅游业现状进行了深入分析，一则陈述其优势，一则指出其薄弱之处。更重要的是本章节将研究目标由旅游业本体扩展到旅游业的载体，即澳大利亚社会，从透过对社会的变迁分析了澳大利亚旅游业的变迁。在这一阶段的研究过程中，作者发现澳大利亚旅游业并非全盘变更，因此专用一节陈述了其保有的历史特征和优势。
在以上讨论的基础上，作者将研究的对象具体化到入境澳大利亚的中国游客身上。通过对中澳双方的文献的再研究，第四章首先陈述了这一特殊群体的统计学特征。再通过原定的理论基础，深入分析了入境中国游客对澳大利亚的文化理解（或非理解）。
综合主体讨论章节中的内容，作者总结认为，原研究设想是可以成立的。即澳大利亚旅游业确实发生了转变，从其原来倾向于西方发达国家转向了全球化，甚至亚洲化的方向。这样的转变在很大程度上受制于全球政治、经济、文化格局的变动，更受到澳大利亚社会本身变革的影响。在面向中国游客的情况下，澳大利亚在未来的十年仍能享受巨大的客源，但是这样的增长并非建立在双方对彼此深刻的文化认识上。中国游客目前对于出境目的地的选择并不理性，很大程度上是受到经济诱因的促使。澳大利亚对中国游客进行的宣传活动除了传统的手段不能推陈出新，尤其是不能在其文化领域独占鳌头。建立在如此基础上的增长，在长远看来并不乐观。
Keywords
cross-cultural communication; tourism; Chinese tourists; economy;
Australian Studies in China: Research on Australia by Chinese scholars.