Exploring protest tourism motivations: The case of Hong Kong

Abstract

Protest tourism is visiting a destination with the major aim of viewing or participating in protests. This qualitative study examined the motivations of Hong Kong protest tourists as a starting point for future exploration of distinctions between this emerging type of tourism and other existing categories. Five primary motivations were revealed. Two push motivations were the desire to (1) have special, new experiences that few others have experienced; and (2) experience tourist offerings first-hand. Three pull motivations were created by sites providing tourists the opportunity to (i) see a one-time historical event; (ii) share the moment with local citizens, even if indirectly; and (iii) experience real-time events with a local guide. The findings point to unique temporal and geographic aspects of the interplay between protest tourist motivations and the unique merging of the subject and object of tourism, shedding light on how different tourism experiences can be framed.