Blood is Thicker Than Water: Filial Piety and Grandtravel Experiences of Generation Z

ABSTRACT Influenced by increasing longevity and falling fertility rates worldwide, the growing popularity of grandtravel (grandparent-grandchild travel) provides family tourism research with a promising opportunity to unpack the nexus between tourism and the ever-changing family structures. In response to extant research’s call for further insights into grandtravel experiences shaped by distinct cultural contexts, the current interpretive study sought to explore the perceptions of Generation Z (Gen Z) around filial piety and their influences on grandtravel experiences. The research involved 30 in-depth interviews undertaken with Chinese adult grandchildren who had previously traveled with their grandparents, and it identifies the impact of filial piety on participants’ expectations and activities, and the satisfaction derived from their grandtravel experiences. It also highlights the significance of the role played by social media, and that of the (non-) presence of middle generations during Gen Z’s grandtravel. By doing so, the current study advances a broad, non-western understanding of adult grandchildren’s tourism experiences during grandtravel, and extends the scope of Chinese filial piety in family tourism literature beyond the parent-child dynamic. The findings also provide useful implications for grandtravel management and marketing, by underscoring the positive filial engagement between grandchildren and grandparents, as well as the preferences of senior tourists.