Introduction ix Part 1. Departure Management: New Forms of Constraints 1 Introduction to Part 1 3 Chapter 1. Tour Operators, a Quasi-Imposed Intermediary 5 1.1. The Chinese tourism system: a tool for controlled emancipation 6 1.1.1. Destination control 7 1.1.2. Narrative control 9 1.1.3. Controlling intermediaries 12 1.2. Building a state of laws and regulating international travel 14 1.2.1. PRC travel agency regulations or how to restrict right of entry into the sector 15 1.2.2. The tourism law or how to combine the maintenance of social order with the economic development of the sector 18 1.3. Restricted sector, regulated activity… in theory 22 1.3.1. Bypassing the outbound agency license 24 1.3.2. The use of nominees: a win-win collaboration between official and unofficial tour operators 30 Chapter 2. Room for Maneuver: The Example of Wuhan 37 2.1. From oligopoly to market saturation 42 2.1.1. Phase 1: creation of the Wuhan market (1990-2005) 42 2.1.2. Phase 2: market-led consolidation enabled by reforms (2006-2014) 47 2.2. Recent years in the tour operator market in Wuhan: a revival built on the remains of a bygone era 53 2.2.1. Social mutations at the root of change 53 2.2.2. The need for tour operators to adapt 56 2.2.3. The weight of the past: the great historic brands struggling to standardize 61 2.2.4. Signs of market renewal: new brands for new needs 68 Conclusion to Part 1 79 Part 2. Thailand, a Popular Nearby Destination - In the Midst of an Adaptation Process 81 Introduction to Part 2 83 Chapter 3. The New Faces of Hospitality 85 3.1. Southeast Asia: the main destination for Chinese tourists 85 3.2. A singular case: Thailand, the number one destination for Chinese tourists 90 3.2.1. The construction of an exotic image of tourism in Thailand by the West… 91 3.2.2. Before the domination of Chinese tourism 95 3.3. A series of increasingly visible adaptations 99 3.3.1. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport 100 3.3.2. Bangkok's Grand Palace 101 3.3.3. Shopping hotspots: malls and Kingpower duty free 102 3.3.4. Pattaya Bay and surrounding islands 104 3.3.5. The port and islands around Pattaya 105 Chapter 4. The Case of Phuket: A Space for Chinese Tourists 109 4.1. The creation of spaces dedicated to this new clientele 110 4.1.1. Phuket, an island of Western imagination 110 4.1.2. Different tourism rationales for different locations on Phuket Island 112 4.1.3. The emergence of districts intended for Chinese tourists 127 4.2. A new hierarchy of players to organize Chinese tourism 136 4.2.1. The Chinese diaspora: a key player in the early days of tourism 137 4.2.2. Large-scale entrepreneurs from China playing a growing role 138 4.2.3. The arrival of smaller Chinese entrepreneurs 144 4.2.4. Initiatives and difficulties encountered by non-Chinese players 148 Conclusion to Part 2 155 Part 3. France, an Exotic Destination 157 Introduction to Part 3 159 Chapter 5. A Market on the Road to Empowerment 163 5.1. A social diffusion structured by a generational gap 164 5.1.1. Learning about otherness: reverse transmission 164 5.1.2. Introduction to tourism: a way to strengthen ties between generations? 168 5.2. Tourism learning strategies and instances 170 5.2.1. A gradual, guided expansion of horizons of otherness 170 5.2.2. Family, school and work: the main instigators of tourist mobility 174 5.2.3. Learning from tourism 180 5.3. Conclusion 185 Chapter 6. French Otherness According to Chinese Tourists 187 6.1. French exoticism: a distant horizon of otherness and an inversion of the tourist gaze 188 6.1.1. France, a romantic and hedonistic destination 188 6.1.2. Disorientation, discomfort, feelings of insecurity… Chinese tourists putting French otherness to the test 194 6.2. France, a destination for discovery 198 6.2.1. In Paris, discovering cultural heritage and shopping 200 6.2.2. Chinese tourists in search of autonomy and immersive experiences 203 6.3. Conclusion 208 Chapter 7. The Spread of Chinese Tourism in France 211 7.1. Spatial rationales of Chinese tourists in France: the influence of distance and the role of repeaters 211 7.1.1. The unequal influence of distance according to tourists' country of residence 211 7.1.2. The influential role of repeaters and networks of locations differentiated by tourist type 214 7.2. The road trip, a popular mode of travel for Chinese tourists in Provence 223 7.3. Conclusion 227 Conclusion to Part 3 229 Conclusion 231 References 237 Index 249