The Life Satisfaction of Consumption-Led Tourism Migrants

Abstract

Consumption-Ied tourism migration refers to the phenomenon that relatively affluent people travel to certain places and live there for some time, in pursuit of better quality of life. The long duration of consumption-led migrants at the destination stimulates local economy and many destinations treat it as a strategy for economic growth. Therefore, the promotion of life satisfaction (LS) of these migrants is crucial for local sustainable development. The document aims to explore whether the consumption-led tourism migrants are satisfied with their life in the destination. With 552 usable samples collected in Sanya, China, the LS of these migrants in terms of socio-culture, shopping, leisure, medical conditions and transportation are measured. The results indicate that migrants are not satisfied with their material and spiritual life in the destination although they appreciate local physical settings. In particular, migrants show least dissatisfaction with local medical conditions. The research also reveals that the dissatisfaction variances exist among different educational and economic migrant groups. Furtherly, the relationship between education level and economic conditions and LS is more complicated rather than linear. The paper also discusses possible reasons for migrants' dissatisfaction and for the complex variances. Current study has much implication for current destination supply-side reform in China, and it helps to find strategies for the integration of migrants into the receiving society.