| Author: | Yang, Yiping |
| Title: | From seed to cup : the potential of coffee tourism in China’s coffee-producing regions |
| Advisors: | Lin, Pearl (SHTM) |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Subject: | Coffee -- Social aspects Coffee industry -- Economic aspects Tourism -- China Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | x, 115 pages : color illustrations, maps |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study is to explore the potential of coffee tourism development in China’s coffee-producing regions and the influencing factors of coffee tourism development. A qualitative research was conducted due to the exploratory nature of this study. The study region is Yunnan province in China, where is the main coffee production region that produces 95% of China’s coffee (Worker's Daily, 2017). The data collection included two stages. First, the primary data was collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews. Second, another set of secondary data was collected from the visitor-generated reviews coffee tourists posted on review platforms. These two sets of data were analysed separately and compared later for triangulation. The results illustrate the current status of coffee tourism and reveal the factors influencing coffee tourism development. From the tourists perspective, the factors influencing coffee tourism development were identified as destination awareness, tourists types and travel purposes, experience during the coffee trip, and the effects of trips. Experience during the trip was revealed as the most important factor, which includes available activities, environment, accessibility, service quality and price. “Available activates” is the main factor for experience creation, and interviewees mentioned that diversification of activities is the key to retain and attract tourists. Other factors concerning coffee tourism suppliers are return on investment, limited government support, and duration of coffee tours. On the other hand, besides the commonly known benefits of tourism (i.e. tourism income, destination image development, and job opportunity), coffee tourism could be a means to address Chinese coffee farmers’ vulnerable position on the coffee value chain and contribute to the sustainability of the coffee industry, which might, in return, benefit the coffee tourism development. There are several limitations of this research. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time both coffee and tourism industries are impacted significantly. The study was also conducted shortly after the release of a successful coffee movie that generates great attention about coffee in China and the origins of coffee. Therefore, future study should be conducted later when the impact of these two incidences is lesser. Longitudinal research seems reasonable to examine whether coffee attractions could sustain the positive influence of these two incidences. A small group of stakeholders were interviewed within a short period without participants from some key stakeholder groups such as government and farmers. Therefore, future researches should include more stakeholder groups and more participants. The findings could help coffee tourism suppliers to understand coffee tourists better. Several managerial implications were included in the research, such as diversifying activities and tour packages, training employees, and cooperation between coffee and tourism industries. With the findings, the government could also develop strategies and plans for coffee tourism development. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6912.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 1.41 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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