Abstract (150 Words)
Globalization has allowed contemporary immigrants to live in two worlds and maintain virtual and physical contact with their homeland through leisure and diaspora tourism. This study examined the lived experience of second-generation Chinese-Americans as they traveled to their parents’ country of origin and explored the relationship between their transnational homeland attachment and diaspora tourism experience. Using a phenomenological approach, twenty-six second-generation Chinese-Americans who had the experience of traveling in China were interviewed. Four themes were identified from their travel experience: destination image, authenticity, family history, and homeland attachment. Findings revealed how being a secondgeneration immigrant influenced the way they saw and experienced China as both destination and homeland.
Home Away from Home: Diaspora Tourism and Transnational Attachment of Second-Generation Chinese-Americans
Globalization has allowed contemporary immigrants to live in two worlds and maintain virtual and physical contact with their homeland through leisure and diaspora tourism. This study examined the lived experience of second-generation Chinese-Americans as they traveled to their parents’ country of origin and explored the relationship between their transnational homeland attachment and diaspora tourism experience. Using a phenomenological approach, twenty-six second-generation Chinese-Americans who had the experience of traveling in China were interviewed. Four themes were identified from their travel experience: destination image, authenticity, family history, and homeland attachment. Findings revealed how being a secondgeneration immigrant influenced the way they saw and experienced China as both destination and homeland.
