Travel by Chinese: a generational cohort perspective

This paper applies Generational Cohort Theory to gain a deeper understanding of attitudes towards, importance of and actual travel patterns displayed by four generations of people who live in central China. Travel was not part of the value set of the Republican and Lost Generations and as such they travel rarely and continue to see travel as unimportant. Values began to change in the Transition Generation, where members of this cohort begin to gain the financial wherewithal to travel. Value change was complete with the Post 80s generation who feel travel is now a normal part of their life. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.