Zhihao Chen

Thesis title: Self-drive tourist's spatial behaviour and associated decision-making process in context of Chinese market

Start year: 2019

Research topic

The purpose of this study is to understand the self-drive tourists’ decision-making process and corresponding spatial behaviour. This research aims to achieve two objectives. The first objective is to examine the spatial behaviour of self-drive tourists. The second objective is to explore the decision-making processes that underpin the associated spatial behaviour. The research centres on the context of the Chinese self-drive domestic market prior to and post-the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Building on the findings, the study will propose a framework to provide a holistic process on forming the spatial behaviour of self-drive tourists. This framework can also apply to wider academic contexts that contribute to existing theory. The practical contribution of this study lies with the enhanced understanding of the self-drive domestic market aiding better decisions by travel organisers and tourism policymakers.

Academic school / department

Oxford Brookes Business School

Publications

  • Ji, M., Guo, W., Chen, Z., and Morgan, N. (2022). Managing tourist congestion: insights from Chinese package tours to the UK and Ireland. Current Issues in Tourism, pp.1-20.
  • Chen.Z., Clarke, J., and Zhao, B. (2023). ‘Semantic Segmentation Mining: An analysis of Tourist’s spatial-temporal behaviour by using open GPS data’ (under-review).

Professional information

Conferences

  • Chen, Z., Ji, M., and Clarke, J.(2022) The construction of tourism space by self-drive tourists in the context of the Chinese domestic market. Presented at the ‘Mapping the Beaten Track PhD Workshop and Research Seminar’, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, September 2022.
  • Chen, Z., Ji, M., and Clarke, J.(2022) A Sequential Pattern Mining Approach to Self-drive Movement: The Case of Chinese Domestic Market. Presented at Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference 2022, Newcastle University, UK  September 2022.
  • Ji, M., Chen, Z., and Morgen, N., (2022) How Standardised are the Chinese Package Tours to the UK? CHME 2022 (Council for Hospitality Management Education Conference 2022), Edinburgh, UK, May, 2022.
  • Chen, Z., Ji, M., Clarke, J., and Yao, Q (2021). Self-drive tourism in Beijing: an analysis of tourists’ spatial behaviour after Covid-19 lockdown. Presented at the EuroCHRIE2021 - 37th Annual EuroCHRIE Conference, Aalborg, Denmark, September 2021.
  • Ji, M., Chen, Z. and Reynolds, J.(2021). Managing Tourist Congestion in Post-Covid – Insight from the Chinese Package Tours to the UK and North Ireland. Presented at EuroCHRIE2021 - 37th Annual EuroCHRIE Conference, Aalborg, Denmark, September 2021.