Perils of speed dating: an Australian success story in Chinese outbound tourism

Abstract

This paper provides insights and lessons about how Western tourism operators can build and maintain business-to-business relationships with Chinese tourism providers. The case analyses how Tangalooma Island Resort Pty Ltd approached the challenge of developing business networks and how they have sustained this activity for over a decade to become a major destination for Chinese visitors to Australia. While there is no shortage of research on the Chinese notion of guanxi, this study uses a novel multi-dimensional cultural intelligence perspective to synthesise Chinese and Australian views on the drivers of long-term commercial success. The frameworks and insights provided make a valuable and timely contribution to our understanding of how Western firms can approach China tourism opportunities, and importantly, provide lessons on the nuances of effective relationship development between Western and Chinese individuals and firms. This critical single case study highlights the importance of business negotiation and need for deepening cultural logic with appropriate pacing by key protagonists in the Western firm. Nurturing and growing interpersonal cultural skills is fundamental and helps build inter-firm bonds, resource ties and activity links. This is discussed using the actors–activities–resources model promoted within the context of industrial marketing and purchasing. Future research could extend the findings through additional case studies, or further empirical validation.