Impact of emigration on outbound tourism: a cultural perspective

Purpose Large-scale international migration and tourism flows have become significant social, economic, cultural and spatial phenomena in the modern world. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of emigration from developing countries on tourism, and there needs to be more systematic analysis from a cultural perspective. This paper aims to examine how emigration from developing countries influences outbound tourism from a cultural standpoint. Design/methodology/approach This paper selects China, the country with the most enormous scale of emigration and tourism worldwide, as a case study. Panel data covering China’s emigration to 82 countries from 2000 to 2019 are analyzed using econometric methods to examine the impact of migration on outbound tourism. Robustness analyses, including instrumental variable methods, are also conducted. Findings The findings show that China’s emigration significantly promotes outbound tourism, encompassing tourists with various travel purposes. The cultural capital and cultural distance of destination countries have a moderating effect on the tourism impact of emigration. The effect is particularly pronounced in countries with rich cultural capital and those with greater cultural distance from China. Originality/value This study explores the impact of emigration from developing countries on outbound tourism, providing a systematic interpretation of the outbound tourism effect of emigration from a cultural perspective. It expands the research scope and theoretical mechanisms of migration-led-tourism theory. The findings offer valuable insights for destination countries to leverage migrant networks to enhance their image and optimize marketing strategies.