Defining "face" in order to improve Chinese tourists' service satisfaction with respect to visiting Norway

Abstract

Chinese face is an important cultural concept deeply rooted in Chinese society. Face plays a significant role in Chinese peoples’ social interactions. As the Chinese economy grows, there is much opportunity arising from a related growing Chinese outbound tourism market. Subsequently, there is also opportunity for Norwegian tourism personals to explore the Chinese outbound tourism market.

By analyzing Chinese face, this thesis aims to promote Norwegian tourism to Chinese tourists and improve service satisfaction. Twenty-six Chinese tourists traveling to Norway in groups were interviewed. Content analysis was used to code collected data into three themes: face-driven motivation and face earning, factors influencing face loss, and effective face saving strategies.

Research findings in this thesis identified a changing trend in motivations for visiting Norway; factors that make Chinese tourists sensitive to face loss during an outbound trip; and main points that can effectively save Chinese tourists’ face.

This study is conducive to understanding Chinese tourists better with the purpose of attracting more Chinese tourists.