Contextuality, agency, and path dependence : an evolutionary perspective of island tourism in Hong Kong and Zhuhai

Abstract

This study focuses on place evolution in relation to tourism in the context of small islands. In the contemporary era of globalization and modernization, many places, particularly those that have developed tourism, have been undergoing rapid, intensive transformation. Under this context, the importance of examining place evolution and associated place changes with a tourism focus has been increasingly acknowledged by geographers. Traditionally, tourism researchers focus on the dynamics associated with tourism development but deemphasize the broader changes involved in place evolution while examining place evolution in relation to tourism, thereby resulting in the issues of “tourism centrism” and “pulling out of place” and the lack of theoretical frameworks that can explain place evolution holistically. In addressing these challenges, this study suggests an approach of subordinating the matter of destination to the matter of place and offers an analytical framework by drawing inspirations from evolutionary economic geography (EEG) and the relational approach to place in human geography (RA). In particular, the notions of contextuality, agency, and path dependence are identified and integrated as three interrelated triggers of place evolution. Cases studies of Cheung Chau of Hong Kong and Wailingding of Zhuhai are conducted to examine the merits of such approach and framework in explaining the evolutionary process of places in relation to tourism. The empirical research follows the research philosophy of critical realism, employs a combined method of historical analysis, case-study approach, and comparative perspective, and utilizes a variety of data comprising secondary sources, transcripts of in-depth interviews, and records of onsite observations. The findings of this study help to advance the understanding of how and why places evolve over time in tourism context. The findings show that tourism is but only one, albeit dominant, of various enormous interrelated institutions and activities which both affect and are affected by the evolution of Cheung Chau and Wailingding. The evolution of the islands in relation to tourism is a material, dynamic, and relational process that is conditioned by agents’ actions and interactions in response to local and broader changing contexts. Contextualities at local, regional, national and global scales have shaped the evolutionary processes of the islands as a relational nexus. During the processes, distinctive evolutionary trajectories were created in the cases of Cheung Chau and Wailingding owning to varied forces of contextuality and agency. These findings can offer a few implications for practitioners and policymakers in the aspects of destination management and tourism planning. In sum, this study offers a framework that can better explain how tourist destinations as places evolve over time, though the solution sought is far from perfect. Comparative studies of different types of places and further research on the extent to which contextuality, agency, and path dependence shape the evolution of places and the ways in which they interplay with one another may tackle issues surrounding place evolution in relation to tourism at a more advanced level.