Asian Cultures and Contemporary Tourism: Locating Asia, Cultural Differences and Trends

Abstract

With the stable economic growth and emergence of low-cost carriers, Asia has become one of the most important, fastest-growing forces in the international tourism market. Asian tourists have shown unique characteristics and behaviours mainly due to the influence of cultural values and beliefs. Culture shapes tourists’ preferences, behaviours and their perceptions of tourism destinations. Recognising cultural uniqueness, this edited volume brings together a collection of chapters that investigate contemporary Asian tourists from a cultural perspective. This chapter provides an overview of the significance of Asian tourist markets, cultural differences between Asian and Western tourists and the cotemporary travel trends related to Asian tourists, followed by an orientation to the collective works in this book.