Abstract

This paper used a mixed-method approach, combining cluster analysis and member-checking interviews to understand Hong Kong residents’ attitudes towards the “Individual Visit Scheme” (IVS) policy for mainland Chinese tourists. Three distinct clusters were identified, which grew significantly more positive with advancing age and higher income levels of the respondents. Interviews showed that these two factors substantially position residents’ attitude towards IVS through social exchange and social representations. Younger, lower-income Hong Kongers tended to rely largely on social representations, such as values and preconceptions, while older and higher-income earning residents were found to build more widely upon more rational social exchange principles.