Purpose This study aims to explore the meanings of solo travel for Asian women, focussing on how Asian women construct and negotiate their identities in the heteronormalised, gendered and Western-centric tourism space. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 Asian solo female travellers from ten Asian countries/societies and analysed using constructivist grounded theory. The interpretation was guided by a critical stance and intersectionality lens. Findings The findings show that solo travel provides a means for self-discovery but the path was different for Asian women, for whom the self is constructed by challenging the social expectations of Asian women. Western-centric discourse was identified in the participants’ interactions with other (Western) travellers and tourism service providers, as well as in the ways these Asian women perceive themselves in relation to Western travellers. In addition to gendered constraints and risks, the findings also reveal the positive meaning of being Asian women in the gendered tourism space. Research limitations/implications By labelling Asian women, the study risks adopting an essentialised view and overlooking the differences within the group. However, this strategic essentialism is necessary to draw attention to the inequalities that persist in contemporary tourism spaces and practices. Originality/value This study investigated Asian solo female travellers, an emerging but under-researched segment. It provides a critical examination of the intersectional effect of gender and race on identity construction for Asian solo female travellers. This study shows the need for a more inclusive tourism space.

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Purpose Where tourism research related to families holidaying with young children in coastal mass tourism destination is scant, this paper aims to explore accommodation constraints and needs of European parents who holiday with young children. Design/methodology/approach Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted with parents of young children who have just completed their family vacation in the island of Sardinia, Italy by positioning the interviewer at the boarding area of the Olbia Costa Smeralda airport. Findings The analysis returned five key themes: location of accommodation, quality of interactions, child-friendly amenities, safety and family-oriented programmes. Originality/value Within these five themes, seven new attributes were identified and contribute to the current literature on accommodation preferences of parents travelling with young children. The findings also suggest that this is a distinct segment within family tourism and should not be treated homogeneously with families with older or adult children. Finally, the data highlight the distinctions between Asian and Western parents in terms of their accommodation needs.

Griffith University. Mona's research interest is children, particularly from Asian perspectives. She has co-published two journal articles on Malaysian-Chinese and European family holidays in Young Consumer and Journal of China Tourism Research. In addition, Mona presented at the renowned international tourism conference, CAUTHE 2016. Currently, for her doctoral thesis, she is exploring the quality of life of children in host-countries.

The absence of children in tourism research has been identified by past scholars but the rising attention on Asian consumers in tourism has also implied that the voices of Chinese children need to be heard. This study triangulates fourteen young Malaysian Chinese children's drawings of their favourite family holidays with open-ended interview questions. The drawings were analysed using the five thematic levels according to a model of analysis of children's drawings. Findings revealed the collectivistic Confucian values of family and education during vacations, but also highlight what Chinese children conceptualised as fun holiday activities. A number of suggestions are provided for future research and for tourism practitioners to provide memorable holiday experiences for their young travellers.