Beyond Novelty–familiarity Dualism: The Food Consumption Spectrum of Chinese Outbound Tourists

ABSTRACT China has become the largest source market for international tourism, and food is essential for outbound travel. Only a few studies have focused on the food consumption of Chinese outbound tourists. Existing studies have sought to understand tourists’ food consumption based on the novelty–familiarity dual structure. This article adopts qualitative research methods to analyze the food consumption of Chinese outbound tourists in Spain. It finds that the food consumption of outbound tourists runs along a continuous spectrum from novelty to familiarity rather than a polarized choice, with the local food of tourist destinations and tourists’ home foods comprising the two ends of the spectrum. In the middle of the consumption spectrum are various foods that mix familiarity and novelty, such as fast food and overseas Chinese food. The Chinese outbound tourists chose foods according to their situated needs. The food consumption spectrum illustrates the in-betweenness and hybridity of tourists’ food consumption generated by globalization, enriching the findings on the dual structure of diet in existing studies. This study also provides suggestions for tourist destinations about tailoring food services for international tourists.