Built on role theory and its applications in service marketing and management, this study proposes a framework of understanding Chinese tourists as co-producers in service delivery. Specifically, this study calls for understanding Chinese tourists’ own perceptions toward their roles and self-efficacy in service production. By doing this, travel service providers can take a proactive approach to design programs that will help improve tourists’ role clarity and self-efficacy so as to influence their motivations and participation in the service co-production process. This study, along with those to follow, fills a void in tourist behavior studies and extends the literature of the role theory of service delivery as applied to emerging markets.