Tourism geography in China, 1978-2008: Whence, what and whither?

Abstract

Tourism geography did not exist in China before 1978. Since its birth shortly after the 1978 reforms, it has been growing rapidly. After a brief period of growth with strong interests in theoretical issues, the field over the last two decades has been dominated by applied work. This is attributable to the rise of tourism as an important source of national and local income which demands better planning of tourism resources, and to the neoliberalization of the educational system at the university level. Topics of theoretical inquiry are suggested for the development of a more balanced tourism geography in China.