Towards a conceptual framework for diaspora tourism

Tourism scholars and practitioners tend to treat diaspora tourism as a homogeneous market whose needs can be met by generalized types of products. This assumption results in a gap between the origin and destination dimensions of this phenomenon, which may lead to unsatisfactory visiting experiences. In this paper, we conducted a critical review on a wide range of research undertaken on diaspora, migration and home return tourism, and proposed a conceptual framework by synthesizing significant themes in both dimensions identified from the review. The conceptual framework provides a holistic view for researchers and destination managers to examine diaspora tourism. It suggests that the demand dimension of diaspora tourism concerns the structure of diaspora communities; the diasporic individual’s migration histories, acculturation level and sense of place will determine their motives to return; the destination dimension involves debates on the issues of why current diasporic destinations and their products may not be able to meet the needs of different types of tourists. We aim to provide a comprehensive analysis on what diasporic destinations could consider in order to satisfy the needs of diaspora tourists in their future planning and strategy development.