Tourist scams in the city: challenges for domestic travellers in urban China

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant scams against domestic tourists in popular tourism cities in China. There are two questions of concern: what types of scams do domestic tourists experience and are the patterns of scams different between the capital and regional cities? The social situation framework was employed to interpret the outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A content analysis facilitated by Leximancer software was applied to 102 Chinese travel blogs reporting experiences of being scammed in Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Sanya and Guilin. Clear themes and concepts emerged from the analysis of these travel reviews and differences in scamming patterns between Beijing and regional cities were identified. Findings The most frequently reported scams in the capital Beijing were linked to the chaotic environment at tourist attractions and the misbehaviours of tour agents. By way of contrast scams involving manipulating the weight and quality of products purchased were more common in regional cities. The differences between Beijing and other locations may lie in the greater monitoring of fraudulent practices in the capital. Additionally, the role of shills (confederates of the scammer) was highlighted in many of the scams studied. Originality/value Scams include a slightly less serious but still troublesome set of problems accompanying major crimes and assaults. Rare research specifically focussed on tourist scams despite substantive work discussing crimes against tourists as general. Implications of the present study lie in enriching the literature on scams against tourists. The analysis of scams as a special type of social situation proved to be insightful in directing attention to facets of the interaction thus providing connections to previous work and directions for further study. It is also promising to be developed to inform strategic approaches to creating a safer tourism environment in cities.

Exploring inbound tourists experience in Beijing, China: an online deductive approach

“…The data analysis process was completed by the Leximancer software, which is becoming a popular tool for textual analysis and has been used in several tourism studies (e.g., Chiu and Leng, 2017;Li and Pearce, 2016). Based on the calculation of word frequencies and cooccurrences, Leximancer is able to generate a structural word-concept-theme framework that can represent the meanings of the data as well as illustrate the relationships between key themes/concepts (Smith, 2003).…”

“…For example, the interpretation of the People theme has moved beyond the traditional scope from focusing on local residents only to incorporate a wider variety of populations, such as tourism and hospitality workers and other travelers. Likewise, the interpretation of the Service theme appears to be two-fold: on one hand, travelers were satisfied with the value of the ticket, the souvenir, and the tour at the attraction; on the other hand, they were frustrated with tourist scams (Li and Pearce 2016).…”

“…It is noted that the sub-theme (concept) Scam is associated with low-rating reviews. This is a type of negative experience that shared by both domestic and international tourists (Li and Pearce 2016). As one review explained, "the scams could happen from the tri-motorcycle drivers.…”

Are tourists interesting?

“…The nature and seriousness of the crimes against tourists varies according to the country, and in part is due to the gaps in affluence within countries and by comparison with the tourists (Biagi & Detotto, 2014). For the topic of scams, studies of national and international tourists in China and Thailand reveal that the practices may differ a little according to the country, the tourists targeted and locations (Pearce, 2011a;Li & Pearce, 2016). It is clear however, that those who prey on tourists are quite acute observers of tourist behaviour, noting in particular where they spend their time and how they may be vulnerable.…”

Analysis of The Availability of Urban Green Open Space

“…The existence of green open space can give positive impact for human activities. The most frequently reported scams in the capital Beijing were linked to the chaotic environment at tourist attractions and the misbehaviours of tour agents [10].…”