Red Tourists and National Identity in the Museum Commemorating Deng Xiaoping

Abstract

This study aims to identify types of red tourists based on their travel motivations for visiting the museum commemorating Deng Xiaoping, with a focus on their experiential sense of national identity conceived by the two identified groups ahead of the centennial celebration of the Communist Party of China. Survey data collected from 349 mainland Chinese tourists revealed that red tourism in China is a complex cultural, social, and economic phenomenon, rather than merely an agent of political socialization, because the museum attracts red tourists who are interested not only in patriotic education and commemoration but also in leisure and recreation. Red visitors seem to be patriots who identify China as a multi-ethnic country and a great nation, whereas red pilgrims are more likely to align with specific political ideologies, such as socialist road and core socialist values. The study enhances our understanding of the types of red tourists and their individual differences in travel motivations and national identity, suggesting curators evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and consider making minor changes to the exhibits for different types of visitors.