Influence of transnational leisure on diaspora tourism among contemporary migrants

Abstract

Leisure and tourism constitute important means for migrants to keep in touch with their homeland. This study is the first to investigate the relationship between the leisure and tourism activities of contemporary migrants in a transnational social field. Overseas Chinese residing in North America were surveyed to compare transnational leisure participation and travel behavior across five migrant generations, and examine the effects of transnational leisure on travel behavior and intention. A U-shaped pattern was found in respondents’ media-based and event-based transnational leisure, frequency of travel, and intention to visit China, with the second generation being the lowest. Media-based leisure influenced the first and 1.5-generations’ number of homeland trips whereas event-based leisure influenced that of the second, third, and fourth-plus generations. Overall, there is a positive relationship between transnational leisure and diaspora tourism, and different types of transnational leisure have varying effects on the travel behavior and intention of different generations.