Hokkien Chinese diaspora visitors’ image construction of their ancestral hometown: the role of the tourist gaze

This study examines how diaspora tourists’ secondary and primary image of their ancestral home is constructed and how the tourist gaze is implied within. The study focuses on the Hokkien Chinese diaspora travelling to their ancestral hometown of Quanzhou, China. 58 foreign-born Hokkien Chinese participants were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed the significant influence of the collective and romantic gaze in forming both secondary and primary images of Quanzhou. Visiting Quanzhou emerges as a strategy for survival, maintaining cultural connectivity and fostering transnational mobility. The significance of homecoming visits organised by families and diaspora organisations as catalysts for cultural, educational, social, and business mobility are discussed, highlighting the importance of incorporating the diaspora's transnational experiences into heritage tourism studies. Insights into how the Hokkien Chinese diaspora’s cultural heritage and transnational connections to their host communities in Quanzhou are essential in constructing the diasporic destination image are provided