Beyond ‘Ni hao’: How the state and tourism industry in Slovenia perceive and construct the 'Chinese tourist'

Some of the most renowned media outlets have been documenting the astounding rise in the number of Chinese international tourists in the last decade as well as manifold causes and effects of this development. Facing the downsizing of the European markets, Slovenian tourist industry gradually started to look for ways to attract Chinese tourists. This was done with moderate success since the number of Chinese guests’ overnight stays in Slovenia has been on the slow rise in the last years. In line with the current shifts in tourism industry as well as economic and geopolitical changes the proposed research will therefore examine the perceptions, opinions and strategies of various Slovenian tourism industry actors on the rather novel phenomenon of Chinese outbound tourism by using constructivist framework of understanding ethnicity and cultural encounters.

Sicris