An Economic Analysis of the Spending Behaviour of Chinese Domestic Tourists in Guizhou in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Chen, Yong (2025) An Economic Analysis of the Spending Behaviour of Chinese Domestic Tourists in Guizhou in the Post-COVID-19 Era. Doctoral thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The tourism industry plays a vital role in China’s economy, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. While major urban destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai have been widely studied, provincial destinations like Guizhou remain underexplored despite their growing importance in the tourism sector. Following the severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s tourism industry has gradually recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, with domestic tourism playing a key role in this resurgence. Understanding the behavioural factors that influence domestic tourists to revisit Guizhou is therefore critical for supporting sustainable economic growth. As a result, the primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of factors derived from an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) on Chinese domestic tourists' intention to revisit Guizhou destinations following the Covid-19 pandemic. This study extends the TPB by incorporating three additional variables— perceived social impact, safety, and hygiene—to examine their influence on Chinese domestic tourists’ revisit intentions and actual decisions to return to Guizhou. This data collection was conducted from April to June 2023, successfully gathering 726 completed cases from six (6) locations in Guizhou, such as Zunyi Conference in Zunyi, Water Fall in Anshun, Fanjin Mountain in Tongren, Xijiang Thousand-House Miaozhai in Qiandongnan, China Sky Eyes in Qiannan, and Qingyan Ancient Town. A quantitative analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that attitude The tourism industry plays a vital role in China’s economy, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. While major urban destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai have been widely studied, provincial destinations like Guizhou remain underexplored despite their growing importance in the tourism sector. Following the severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s tourism industry has gradually recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, with domestic tourism playing a key role in this resurgence. Understanding the behavioural factors that influence domestic tourists to revisit Guizhou is therefore critical for supporting sustainable economic growth. As a result, the primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of factors derived from an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) on Chinese domestic tourists' intention to revisit Guizhou destinations following the Covid-19 pandemic. This study extends the TPB by incorporating three additional variables— perceived social impact, safety, and hygiene—to examine their influence on Chinese domestic tourists’ revisit intentions and actual decisions to return to Guizhou. This data collection was conducted from April to June 2023, successfully gathering 726 completed cases from six (6) locations in Guizhou, such as Zunyi Conference in Zunyi, Water Fall in Anshun, Fanjin Mountain in Tongren, Xijiang Thousand-House Miaozhai in Qiandongnan, China Sky Eyes in Qiannan, and Qingyan Ancient Town. A quantitative analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that attitude The tourism industry plays a vital role in China’s economy, contributing significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. While major urban destinations such as Beijing and Shanghai have been widely studied, provincial destinations like Guizhou remain underexplored despite their growing importance in the tourism sector. Following the severe economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s tourism industry has gradually recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, with domestic tourism playing a key role in this resurgence. Understanding the behavioural factors that influence domestic tourists to revisit Guizhou is therefore critical for supporting sustainable economic growth. As a result, the primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of factors derived from an expanded Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) on Chinese domestic tourists' intention to revisit Guizhou destinations following the Covid-19 pandemic. This study extends the TPB by incorporating three additional variables— perceived social impact, safety, and hygiene—to examine their influence on Chinese domestic tourists’ revisit intentions and actual decisions to return to Guizhou. This data collection was conducted from April to June 2023, successfully gathering 726 completed cases from six (6) locations in Guizhou, such as Zunyi Conference in Zunyi, Water Fall in Anshun, Fanjin Mountain in Tongren, Xijiang Thousand-House Miaozhai in Qiandongnan, China Sky Eyes in Qiannan, and Qingyan Ancient Town. A quantitative analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that attitude and perceived behavioural control significantly influence revisit intention within the traditional TPB model. Among the extended variables, perceived social impact and safety were also found to significantly influence revisit intention. Furthermore, revisit intention was shown to significantly predict the actual decision to revisit Guizhou. Notably, revisit intention also mediates the relationship between perceived social impact and the actual decision to revisit, highlighting the key role of social influence in encouraging repeated visits. These findings offer a nuanced understanding of post-pandemic tourist behaviour and reinforce the continued relevance of TPB in evolving tourism contexts. In terms of practical implications, this study provides valuable insights for tourism policymakers and businesses. For example, emphasising perceived social impact and safety in destination marketing—alongside strong communication of health protocols and the promotion of positive socio-cultural narratives—can enhance revisit intention and foster sustainable tourism growth. The study contributes to the development of TPB within a post-pandemic framework and addresses an important gap in the literature on domestic tourism in provincial China.