visiting friends and relatives tourism

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) is BIG. Here’s why

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Visiting friends and relatives, often referred to as VFR, is one of the most prominent types of tourism . Whether you are a tourism management student or a tourism industry entrepreneur, it is important that you understand this vital sector of the tourism industry .

In this article, I will tell you what is meant by the term ‘visiting friends and relatives’ (VFR) and where the term came from. I will also tell you a bit about the reasons why people might travel to visit friends and relatives and how this industry has grown in recent years. Lastly, I will give you some examples of where and how VFR might occur in a global context.

What is visiting friends and relatives (VFR)?

Is vfr tourism, where did the term vfr come from, changing patterns of visiting friends and relatives, globalisation, growing expat population, freedom of movement, desire to travel, degrowth in vfr, examples of vfr, to conclude: visiting friends and relatives (vfr).

Visiting friends and relatives is a term that we hear thrown around frequently within the tourism industry. And, to be frank- it’s actually not difficult to understand.

Essentially, VFR is the movement of a person away from the place in which they live to a place where a family member or friend lives. Within the context of tourism, it is a prerequisite that said visit is far enough away from the person’s home and lasts a long enough duration that it can be classified as ‘tourism’.

Does visiting my grandma for afternoon tea at her home in the next village count as tourism?

What about if I travel to Spain to stay with my dad for two weeks in the summer holidays?

Well, whilst it may seem pretty obvious (the first is not tourism and the second is), there is no hard and fast rule that says when VFR is and isn’t tourism.

If you have read some of my other posts, such as A Definition of Tourism , you will notice that this is a recurring theme in the tourism literature. It is all too common that the boundaries are blurred and that the grey areas leave the door open for subjectivity and ambiguity.

How do Governments measure VFR? How can we compare VFR industries across different parts of the world? The answer- who knows and, well- no.

Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) is a concept that was defined by tourism industry stakeholders in order to better understand this sector of the tourism industry.

Segmentation of this type enabled travel industry researchers and academics to study the relationship between VFR travellers and aspects such as economic and social impacts of tourism .

By having a better understanding of the VFR sector, tourism businesses could be better informed to plan their operations. So, for example, hotels could better understand what facilities guests might be seeking and tourist attractions can understand what provisions may be needed for these types of tourists .

The notion of visiting friends and family, or VFR, has changed significantly over the years.

Migration patterns have changed a lot- think back to the advent of the slave trade compared to todays economic migration- I am a prime example of this with out move from the UK to China .

Over the years travel has become easier, more affordable and more convenient. It is easy to hop on a budget airline flight to fly across Europe for a couple of days. Whilst it takes a bit longer, it is also perfectly reasonable to travel to the other side of the world to visit friends and family for a few weeks.

Other factors that have influenced the growth of VFR includes increased urbanisation of areas, the building of more airports and transport infrastructure and globalisation .

Reasons for the growth in visiting friends and relatives (VFR)

There are several different reasons for the growth in the visiting friends and relatives market around the world. This includes globalisation, a growing expat population , migration, freedom of movement, education and the desire to travel.

I will further explain each of these below.

Globalisation is the notion that we are all becoming more alike, or more ‘global’. Globalisation is increasingly present in almost every aspect of the world that we live in. From English schools in Taiwan, to smart phones in Ethiopia to fajitas in Australia , the world is becoming more and more connected and more and more alike.

Globalisation is bringing people together- we can communicate more easily and understand each other better than before. But globalisation is also increasing distance between us. People who would never have considered a move to, say Japan, are not relocating across the globe for better financial benefits, knowing that they can still get many of their home comforts.

Many business are opening up offices, headquarters and factories around the world and workforces are distributed all over the globe. This means that there is more business travel than ever before.

The corporate world has, in many regards, become a multinational industry. This has meant that there has been an increase in people moving to live overseas around the world. In the UAE, for example, less than 12% of people who live there are Emirates, meaning that the expat population makes up more than 88%! Wow!

Naturally, expats will want to travel to visit their friends and families from time to time, and their friends and families are likely to want to visit them too. This is a clear example of VFR.

People have chosen to migrate from place to place throughout the history of tourism .

Over the years migration patterns have changed. Sometimes people migrate for safety reasons, such as war and political instability. Other times people choose to migrate for economic reasons, usually because the country that they are travelling to offers a better financial situation. And some people choose to migrate for other reasons such as the culture , the weather or the social aspects of a destination.

Popular migration origins, whereby people have opted to migrate the UK throughout the past couple of decades include; India , Pakistan, Jamaica, Nigeria and Poland.

People who have migrated out of the UK in recent years have typically chosen to relocate to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong.

People who migrate will often return to their country of origin to visit their friends and relatives. Likewise, their friends and relatives will often travel to visit them.

Having the freedom to travel to different places has inevitably impacted the VFR industry.

This is most evident in Europe, where the EU four freedoms has resulted in years of uninterrupted travel within the union. A decade or so ago there was a significant influx of people with passports from Eastern European countries moving to the UK. This was as a result of the economic opportunities available to in the UK compared to their home countries.

Education has also become increasingly globalised. Where I live, in Hangzhou, China , people pay a lot of money to send their children to international schools, where they are prepped to attend university in the UK or America. This is common practice in many parts of the world.

VFR amongst students and their families is a significant part of the visiting friends and relatives sector.

Lastly, the most dominant reason for an increase in VFR is the desire to travel.

People nowadays want to see more of the world than ever before. People want to experience new cultures and do things that may not be possible in their home areas (i.e. sunbathing on the beach or skiing on a mountain).

Increased desire to travel has resulted in more people moving overseas, embarking on expatriate lifestyles and travelling for VFR purposes.

Whilst there has been a clear upwards trend in visiting friends and relatives around the world for many years, this was thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time irreversible societal changes occurred including a growth in the shut in economy and technological advancements in telecommunication.

It is likely that many areas will never be the same again. The elderly, who were once averse to using smart devices with significant technological capabilities, have now mastered the use of FaceTime. Group get togethers on Zoom are now commonplace. Microsoft Teams is now the most used classroom around the world.

It is likely that some of these areas will remain popular and may even continue to grow in the future. While there will always be a place for visiting grandma in Scotland and attending a work conference in Budapest, these will likely be less popular now that the world has adapted to using modern technologies that overcome the barriers of distance.

Here are some examples of situations whereby a person might travel for VFR purposes:

• Visiting an aunty who moved to Canada ten years ago
• Going to stay with an old school friend who lives in Portugal
• Meeting your spouses family who live in Ghana
• Travelling to Thailand to attend a family wedding
• Going to visit your son at university in California
• Travelling to Dubai to visit your best friend who moved there for work last year
• Spending a month in Australia with your grandchildren who were born down under
• Taking a short trip to Romania to visit your sick relative
• Returning to your university town for a reunion event

Hopefully now you understand what is meant by the term VFR and you understand why it is such an important part of the tourism industry. As you can see, there are many different situations whereby a person may choose to travel for VFR, from attending a school reunion to visiting your grandma. If you found this interesting, why not follow me on social media? Links at the top of the page!

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• Section 9 - Study Abroad & Other International Student Travel
• Section 9 - Mass Gatherings

Visiting Friends & Relatives: VFR Travel

Cdc yellow book 2024.

Author(s): Danushka Wanduragala, Christina Coyle, Kristina Angelo, William Stauffer

In this book, a “visiting friends and relatives (VFR) traveler” is defined as a person who currently resides in a higher-income country who returns to their former home (in a lower-income country) for the purpose of visiting friends and/or relatives. More broadly, family members (e.g., children, partners) born in the VFR traveler’s higher-income country of residence are also included in this traveler category.

Migration patterns to the United States over the past 30 years have resulted in increasing numbers of immigrants arriving from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Approximately 14% of US residents (≈45 million people) are foreign born, and ≈45% of all overseas international travelers coming from the United States list VFR as their reason for travel.

Disproportionate Infectious Disease Risks

Compared to other groups of international travelers, VFR travelers experience a greater incidence of travel-associated infectious diseases (e.g., hepatitis A, malaria, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, typhoid fever). Several underlying reasons for this observation have been identified (see Box 9-07 ). VFR travelers are a heterogeneous and complex group, however, and assumptions based on population generalizations are not appropriate.

As with any other international traveler, conduct individualized counseling and recommendations after thoroughly discussing and evaluating the VFR traveler’s existing knowledge and beliefs about travel health, in combination with their specific travel characteristics and plans. Exploring the nuanced cultural considerations of the individual traveler is instrumental to providing more effective travel recommendations.

Box 9-07 Reported reasons travelers visiting friends and relatives (VFR) are at increased risk for travel-associated infections & diseases

Cultural & societal barriers.

• Cultural and language discordance between local travel health care providers and members of the VFR community.
• Immigration status concerns among members of the VFR community.
• Lack of awareness of travel medicine among members of the VFR community.
• Mistrust of the local medical system among members of the VFR community.

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER–DEPENDENT BARRIERS

• Lack of knowledge of malaria prevention, identification, and treatment.
• Underlying unconscious bias and racism (negative social-political determinants of health).

LOGISTICAL BARRIERS

• Financial barriers, including lack of insurance coverage.
• Lack of access (travel health clinics not located in areas where VFR travelers live; less marketing and outreach to VFR communities).

UNIQUE ELEMENTS OF VFR TRAVEL

• Duration: VFR travelers might stay at their destination longer than tourists or other travelers going to the same area.
• Infectious diseases: VFR travelers might travel more frequently to destinations with high disease endemicity and increased exposure risk.
• Last-minute and emergency travel: VFR travelers might need to make sudden travel plans to visit ill family members or attend funerals.
• Less likely to use insect bite precautions (e.g., insect repellent, mosquito nets, protective clothing).
• More likely to stay in the community and at homes of friends and relatives.
• Participation in daily family and community activities (e.g., drinking tap or untreated water, sharing locally prepared foods).

As noted, several travel-associated infectious diseases occur at disproportionately high rates in VFR travelers. Box 9-07 highlights multiple reasons for this (e.g., barriers to receiving appropriate pretravel care, unique features of VFR travel), reasons that have been best studied for malaria. Although the global burden of malaria has been decreasing, malaria importation into the United States has been increasing in recent years; 2,161 confirmed imported cases were reported in 2017, the highest number in 45 years. Of these cases, 73% occurred among VFR travelers; 86% were imported from Africa, and 67% of African cases originated in West Africa. These figures are supported by data collected from the GeoSentinel global surveillance network clinics during 2003–2016, which showed that 53% of returned travelers diagnosed with malaria were VFR travelers, 83% of whom acquired their disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Although VFR travelers who were born abroad experience a greater incidence of malaria infection than other international travelers, severe disease and death from malaria among this population has historically been lower than in tourists and business travelers, possibly because of preexisting immunity. VFR travelers are, however, still vulnerable to severe malaria; 55% of malaria hospitalizations in 2017 occurred in this population, and deaths also are reported. For instance, VFR travelers accounted for 5/5 reported malaria deaths in 2014 and 5/11 deaths in 2015.

Timely recognition and prompt delivery of appropriate treatment are critical to improving outcomes in malaria patients. Misdiagnoses by health care providers from nonendemic regions who lack familiarity with the disease have been reported, leading to delays in therapy. Potential misdiagnosis underscores the need for VFR travelers to carefully adhere to chemoprophylaxis and other malaria prevention strategies.

The same factors that lead to a greater incidence of travel-associated infectious diseases among VFR travelers generally, also contribute to an increased risk for malaria in VFR travelers going to Africa. Although VFR travelers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) have been widely reported in the literature, little systematic or rigorous data are published that provide evidence that KAPs differ substantially between VFR and other traveler groups. More recent studies contradict the traditional narrative that VFR travelers are less concerned than other travelers about the possibility of malaria infection. In fact, VFR travelers have equal or more concern about malaria, but existing barriers mean they are less able to act on those concerns.

Other Infections & Conditions

During 2012–2016, about half of all typhoid and paratyphoid A cases in the United States occurred in VFR travelers, mostly those returning from southern Asia. Most isolates were resistant or showed decreased susceptibility to antimicrobial agents like fluoroquinolones.

VFR travelers aged <15 years are at greatest risk for hepatitis A; children and adolescents often have asymptomatic infections. A Canadian study found that 65% of hepatitis A cases occurred in VFR travelers aged <20 years; and in a Swedish study of 636 cases of imported infection, 52% were in VFR travelers, of whom 90% were <14 years old. Other travel-associated infections (e.g., hepatitis B, measles) also occur more commonly in young VFR travelers.

As a group, VFR travelers may be more likely than others to travel internationally while pregnant or at extremes of age, risk factors that can predispose to more severe outcomes from certain infections. For example, malaria during pregnancy is associated with higher morbidity and mortality, and exposure to Zika virus during pregnancy can result in serious fetal and infant complications. The very young and the elderly can have unusual clinical presentations of infections and worse outcomes. For instance, infants develop tuberculosis meningitis more commonly than people in other age groups, and older age is associated with more severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes.

Pretravel Health Counseling

VFR travelers are more likely to seek travel health advice from a primary care clinic than from a travel medicine specialty clinic. Primary care clinics should ensure clinical staff are able to provide basic travel health information and services, and should create systems and working relationships with travel health experts for consultation and referral when appropriate. Primary care and travel clinics can employ various strategies to reach and better serve VFR populations ( Box 9-08 ).

In addition, certain health risks and prevention recommendations might vary or deserve special attention for VFR travelers. Increase awareness among VFR travelers regarding their unique risks for travel-associated infections, and develop strategies to help overcome the barriers they face in accessing and acquiring travel health services. One possible approach is to provide VFR travelers with a comparison of the effect and cost of contracting certain diseases versus the cost of taking preventive measures.

Box 9-08 Improving outreach & service to VFR travelers: recommendations for clinics

Primary care clinics.

(VFR travelers disproportionately seek care at primary care clinics vs. travel medicine clinics)

Ensure clinicians receive continuing education in travel health and travel medicine.

Provide clinicians access to essential travel medicine information (e.g., CDC Yellow Book, Heading Home Healthy, UpToDate). 1

Establish systems and relationships with travel medicine experts and infectious diseases specialists for consultation and referral.

TRAVEL MEDICINE SPECIALTY CLINICS

Conduct outreach to local communities:

• Give talks to community or faith groups on travel medicine with Q&A sessions.
• Meet with VFR community leaders.
• Use various forms of media for outreach (e.g., volunteer for community radio call-in programs to discuss travel health).

Consider adding evening and weekend appointments to the clinic schedule; reserve time slots for last-minute, emergency travel, and returned travelers who are ill.

Create a welcoming clinic environment:

• Decorate with artwork and provide reading materials from countries and cultures of the VFR communities being served.
• Provide an area for prayers.
• Provide language-accessible educational materials.

Encourage patients to “shop around” for the lowest price medications and to purchase in the United States before departing.

Encourage local pharmacies and health systems in areas with greater need to stock appropriate chemoprophylaxis agents.

Ensure VFR travelers have adequate supplies of travel medicines (e.g., malaria chemoprophylaxis):

• Direct pharmacists to call if the VFR traveler is not filling the entire prescription.
• Include travel duration on all travel medicine prescriptions.
• Provide cards to help patients advocate for themselves at pharmacies.2

BOTH PRIMARY CARE & TRAVEL MEDICINE CLINICS

Help patients navigate the healthcare system (e.g., assist in making appointments at appropriate clinics, help arrange transportation).

Increase access to professional medical interpreters; train staff how to use interpreters.

Provide culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials in audio, video, and written formats.

Train clinical staff and health care providers about conscious and unconscious bias, health equity, and to practice cultural humility.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Yellow Book ; Heading Home Healthy ; UpToDate .

2 See the self-advocacy information card developed by the Minnesota Department of Health in collaboration with a West Africa Community Advisory Board to help VFR travelers obtain affordable antimalarial drugs. Available from: www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/travel/medcost.pdf  [PDF].

Malaria Prevention

Encourage VFR travelers going to malaria-endemic areas to take prophylactic medications, but also remind them of the benefits of barrier methods of prevention (e.g., insect repellents, mosquito nets, protective clothing), particularly for children (see Sec. 4, Ch. 6, Mosquitoes, Ticks & Other Arthropods ). Social pressures from host families can dissuade VFR travelers from implementing effective prevention techniques (e.g., using insect repellents and mosquito nets, staying indoors during periods of peak mosquito feeding). Discuss any potential concerns, and provide viable alternative options (e.g., clothing pre-treated with insect repellents, odorless repellents, free-standing mosquito nets).

Malaria Chemoprophylaxis

Due to cost and other disincentives to purchasing malaria chemoprophylaxis in the United States, VFR travelers frequently report they plan to buy these drugs overseas. Substandard malaria chemoprophylaxis drugs are common, however, in certain low- and middle-income countries; in addition, these drugs are a frequent target for drug counterfeiting (see Sec. 6, Ch. 3, . . . perspectives: Avoiding Poorly Regulated Medicines & Medical Products During Travel ). Moreover, because of greater familiarity with products available for purchase at their destination, VFR travelers might favor or endorse a drug that is either inappropriate or contraindicated for use. Counsel against using drugs for which there is documented resistance (e.g., chloroquine, proguanil monotherapy) or that are used for malaria treatment (e.g., artesunate, quinine-based drugs) and not prophylaxis.

For all the above reasons, educate travelers about the risks associated with taking medicines acquired abroad, and advise them to obtain their medications in the United States prior to travel. Recent research has shown the price for the exact same prescription of most common antimalarial drugs can vary greatly among different pharmacies in the same area. Encourage VFR travelers to comparison shop and assist them in finding the best drug price. The Minnesota Department of Health has developed a self-advocacy information card  [PDF] with a West Africa Community Advisory Board to help VFR travelers obtain affordable antimalarial drugs.

Patients also can contact their health insurance provider to learn whether prescription coverage can be extended due to a longer trip. Clinicians can include a note to “notify the prescriber if entire prescription is not filled,” and assist the pharmacy and patient to resolve any issues.

Vaccinations

Travel vaccine recommendations and requirements for VFR travelers are the same as those for other travelers. In addition, establish whether VFR travelers, particularly those born outside the United States, have had routine childhood immunizations (e.g., diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis; measles-mumps-rubella) or a clinical history of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g., varicella).

In the absence of documentation of immunizations, consider adult travelers susceptible and offer age-appropriate vaccinations. Alternatively, perform serologic studies to demonstrate proof of immunity when documentation is lacking (but suspicion of a completed vaccination series is high), or when clinical or epidemiological evidence to suspect prior infection is present.

Although vaccine recommendations for VFR travelers do not differ substantially from those of other travelers, important specific caveats are listed in Box 9-09 .

Box 9-09 Vaccinating VFR travelers: caveats & recommendations

Hepatitis a.

Hepatitis A infection is common in childhood in low- and middle-income countries (see Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 7, Hepatitis A ). After infection, natural immunity is life-long. Due to changing epidemiology, however, do not assume immunity to hepatitis A; many young adults and adolescents from low- and middle-income countries are susceptible and should be vaccinated.

HEPATITIS B

Hepatitis B infection is common in most immigrant groups. Because of routine immunization recommendations in the United States, at-risk immigrants might have a record of receiving hepatitis B vaccination but might not have been screened for chronic infection prior to vaccination. If a patient is at risk for hepatitis B (born or resided in a country with ≥2% prevalence), and no record of a negative test for hepatitis B chronic infection is available, screen for chronic infection (hepatitis B antigen testing) regardless of vaccine status (see Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 8, Hepatitis B ).

Varicella infection occurs later in life in the tropics, and rates of death and complications from varicella disease are higher in adults than in children. Do not assume immunity; perform immunization or antibody testing if no clear clinical history of infection is apparent.

OFF-LABEL VACCINE USE

Experienced providers familiar with the literature may consider off-label use of vaccines for high-risk pediatric VFR travelers when the benefit is felt to outweigh the risk (e.g., measles-mumps-rubella in children <12 months old, typhoid in children <2 years old). See Sec. 7, Ch. 3, Traveling Safely with Infants & Children , and Sec. 7, Ch. 4, Vaccine Recommendations for Infants & Children .

PRETRAVEL SCREENING FOR CHRONIC INFECTIONS

Use pretravel VFR consultations as an opportunity to screen for common chronic infections (e.g., hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis, latent tuberculosis). For more information, see Guidance for the US Domestic Medical Examination for Newly Arriving Refugees and Sec. 11, Ch. 11, Newly Arrived Immigrants, Refugees & Other Migrants .

ROUTINE HEALTH CARE VISITS: PLANNING AHEAD

Use routine health care visits for children and adults as an opportunity to ask about future travel plans. Offer travel vaccines, advice, and recommendations.

Resources for Health Care Providers

Heading home healthy.

The Heading Home Healthy program, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, focuses on reducing travel-related illnesses in VFR travelers. The program was developed to provide VFR travelers with resources for safe travel and includes videos, informational resources, and health tools in multiple languages. Heading Home Healthy also offers a clinical support tool for primary care health providers who are preparing their patients to travel home safely.

The following authors contributed to the previous version of this chapter: Jay S. Keystone

Bibliography

Angelo KM, Libman M, Caumes E, Hamer DH, Kain KC, Leder K, et al. Malaria after international travel: a GeoSentinel analysis, 2003–2016. Malar J. 2017;16(1):293.

Bruneel F, Tubach F, Corne P, Megarbane B, Mira JP, Peytel E, et al.; Severe Imported Malaria in Adults (SIMA) Study Group. Severe imported falciparum malaria: a cohort study in 400 critically ill adults. PLoS One. 2010;5(10):e13236. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National typhoid and paratyphoid fever Surveillance annual summary, 2015. Available from: www.cdc.gov/typhoid-fever/reports/annual-report-2015.html .

Goldman-Yassen AE, Mony VK, Arguin PM, Daily JP. Higher rates of misdiagnosis in pediatric patients versus adults hospitalized with imported malaria. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2016;32(4):227–31.

Hendel-Paterson B, Swanson SJ. Pediatric travelers visiting friends and relatives (VFR) abroad: illnesses, barriers and pre-travel recommendations. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2011;9(4):192–203.

Volkman HR, Walz EJ, Wanduragala D, Schiffman E, Frosch A, Alpern JD, et al. Barriers to malaria prevention among immigrant travelers in the United States who visit friends and relatives in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional, multi-setting survey of knowledge, attitudes, and practices. PLoS ONE 2020;15(3):e0229565.

Walz EJ, Volkman HR, Adedimeji AA, Abella J, Scott LA, Angelo KM, et al. Barriers to malaria prevention in US-based travellers visiting friends and relatives abroad: a qualitative study of West African immigrant travellers. J Travel Med. 2019:1;26(2):tay163.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, the status of the visiting friends and relatives category in recent tourism analysis.

The Tourist Review

ISSN : 0251-3102

Article publication date: 1 April 1997

This paper provides an overview of the visiting friends and relatives category in international tourism researchover the last decade. It was delivered as a keynote paper at the international conference, “VFR Tourism: Issues and implications” held at the Victoria University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, in October 1996.

• VFR Tourism

Seaton, A.V. (1997), "The status of the visiting friends and relatives category in recent tourism analysis", The Tourist Review , Vol. 52 No. 4, pp. 52-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb058262

Copyright © 1997, MCB UP Limited

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Asian Cultures and Contemporary Tourism pp 41–59 Cite as

Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) Tourism Decisions Within Collective Cultures: Insights from Taiwanese Hosts Residing in Brisbane, Australia

• Aaron Tham 5 &
• Maria M. Raciti 5  
• First Online: 27 February 2018

974 Accesses

Part of the book series: Perspectives on Asian Tourism ((PAT))

Academic interest in Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) tourism began during the 1990s, and yet, almost three decades have passed but the field remains one that is highly under-researched. Additionally, there is a scarcity of literature related to VFR tourism within an Asian context. This is somewhat surprising, given that Asian travellers have identified VFR tourism as a common reason for travel. This chapter seeks to elucidate further insights on the VFR tourism phenomena from Taiwanese perspectives touring around Brisbane, Australia. Findings from 94 Taiwanese VFR hosts highlight the manner in which VFR tourism decisions take into consideration the role of collective cultures. The influence posed by collective cultures provides a useful basis to unpack the specific actions taken by the VFR hosts over the duration of their travel experience. Outcomes of the research can likewise guide managerial practices in terms of how to customise suitable itineraries in support of memorable VFR tourism experiences.

• VFR tourism
• Collective cultures
• Host-guest relations
• Tourism decision-making

Download chapter PDF

1 Introduction

Academic interest in VFR began during the 1990s, and yet, after almost three decades, the field remains one that is highly under-researched (Backer 2012 ). The industry, however, has targeted VFR as a market segment in recent times. For instance, Qantas and Fiji Airways launched a series of advertising campaigns in 2014 specifically themed on VFR tourism and thereby tugging at the heartstrings of diasporic communities across borders (Curtis 2014 ; Freed 2014 ). Dwyer et al. ( 2014 ) argued that the growth in VFR tourism numbers can be attributed to increasing migration patterns around the world. In contemporary societies where changes to the global landscape have facilitated the dispersal of communities, VFR tourism demand appears to have been generated by individuals travelling domestically and internationally to visit or host friends and relatives (Asiedu 2008 ; Stepchenkova et al. 2015 ). In the case of this study, VFR decision-making within the context of collective cultures were investigated from the perspectives of Taiwanese host residents in Brisbane, Australia.

In tourism, the host is likely to be one that would welcome any guest through displays of hospitality, given that the visitor is often a foreign other, possessing little knowledge or sharing common characteristics with their respective host (Aramberri 2001 ; Chan 2006 ; van der Duim et al. 2005 ). However, VFR tourism occurs due to relational ties and therefore lends a different perspective to the host-guest relations. In VFR tourism, hosts and guests are likely to be somewhat familiar to each other (Larsen et al. 2007 ). As such, VFR tourism is a unique segment within the broad industry sector.

For collective cultures, the strong relational ties embedded in VFR tourism are likely to dictate the nature in which tourism decisions are made (Huang et al. 2016 ; Hung et al. 2013 ). As a country based in East Asia, Taiwan exhibits many characteristics of collectivistic societies derived from embedding religious and cultural roots in everyday lives (Cummings 1996 ; Wu 2006 ). Evident within collective cultures such as Taiwan are the notion of Confucian values such as harmony, conflict avoidance and respect for elders (Sung 2001 ; Yum 1998 ). These attributes often manifest in decision-making that considers the consequences of long-term relations and goodwill (Lin and Ho 2009 ; Yu and Wen 2003 ). The corresponding impact of possessing such social fabrics is the heightened emphasis placed on making informed decisions, including those that involve VFR trips. As such, there may be additional stress and guest expectations felt by the host, especially when he or she is deemed to be more familiar with tourism opportunities at a destination as compared to their guests (Young et al. 2007 ).

While collective cultures are ubiquitous in Asia, its role in influencing VFR tourism is an under-researched area (Woodside et al. 2011 ). In Shanka and Taylor ( 2003 ), the collective culture effect was discussed but merely presented in terms of what the VFR groups had undertaken, which did not differ significantly from to what a Western lens on VFR would have found. This may be attributed to the well-developed destination image and availability of commercial accommodation offered to any tourist (Griffin and Nunkoo 2016 ). While there may be some variation as to the length of stay in hotel accommodation, or the types of activities undertaken, literature on how the decisions have been made from a collective culture’s perspective is scarce (Janta et al. 2015 ). Prompted by this gap, this study applies the effect of collective cultures to Taiwanese VFR hosts based in Brisbane, Australia, and their related VFR tourism decisions. The study seeks to illuminate how collective cultures manifest across the different aspects of VFR tourism decisions, such as accommodation, dining and attractions.

By conducting this study, the findings contribute to the understanding as to how collective cultures apply to VFR tourism and elucidate specific actions taken by hosts to achieve desired tourism experiences, not merely for pleasure but also fostering social cohesiveness. Apart from theoretical contributions, this study can likewise inform practitioners as to the customisation of suitable VFR tourism itineraries to both hosts and guests.

2 The Taiwanese Diaspora in Australia

The Taiwanese diaspora in Australia only emerged in the mid-1980s when the Federal Government opened up residency options for business investors (DIBP 2014 ). As such, initial patterns of migration were dominated by the major trading cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Among these, Brisbane was a popular location selected by the early wave of immigrants (Ip 2001 ). Chiang and Hsu ( 2005 ) explained that Brisbane appeared to be popular for its regional business opportunities, favourable weather conditions and affordable resettlement costs. According to Tourism and Events Queensland, 14% of Taiwanese visitors to the state reported that VFR is their primary purpose of travel for the year ending September 2016 (TEQ 2016 ). One of Brisbane’s suburbs, Sunnybank, is affectionately called Little Taipei (capital of Taiwan) and hosts annual Taiwanese festivals (Moore 2011 ). Some photos of Sunnybank are illustrated in Figs. 3.1 and 3.2 .

Little Taipei food court in Sunnybank (Source: Sim 2010 )

Taiwanese Festival 2016 poster located in Sunnybank (Source: Taiwan Festival 2016 )

Sunnybank and peripheral suburbs feature supermarkets that cater to Taiwanese groceries, Taiwanese cafes and restaurants and Taiwanese schools that teach traditional Mandarin classes to students. These conditions provide a highly visible presence of the Taiwanese community. In 2014, Qantas announced an additional code-sharing arrangement with China Airlines, thereby increasing frequency and convenience for tourism to and from Australia, where VFR plays a prominent role (Flynn 2014 ). Eva Air, Taiwan’s other major airline, also announced in 2016 that it will increase its flights by 50% between Brisbane and Taiwan from October 2016 (Atfield 2016 ). At a national level, VFR tourism for inbound Taiwanese visitors has witnessed growth in the last few years (TRA 2015 ). Brief summaries of these statistics are presented in Figs. 3.3 , 3.4 and 3.5 .

Taiwanese visitors to Australia by purpose of travel (Source: TRA 2015 )

Average number of nights (Source: TRA 2015 )

Average spending in Australia (‘000) (Source: TRA 2015 )

From these figures, some insights on the Taiwanese inbound VFR tourism market to Australia may be gleaned. The major observations are that there had been a larger number of Taiwanese VFR tourists to Australia in the last 3 years who have stayed longer, though their average spending has decreased. Some reasons that could perhaps explain the increase in VFR numbers and length of stay are more flights from Taiwan to Australia due to a larger number of low-cost carriers (Swallow 2014 ). On the contrary, the fall in average spending per visitor can be an outcome of the longer duration of stay with a limited budget spread across the total vacation period. Moreover, the state of the Taiwanese economy in the last 3 years has resulted in heightened unemployment levels and wage stagnation (Chiu and Chuang 2016 ). These factors will likely economise their expenditure patterns, thus seeking VFR opportunities to reduce tourism costs (Seetaram et al. 2016 ).

Nonetheless, framing the research on the Taiwanese diaspora in Australia contributes to a more nuanced understanding as to how these collective cultures operate within the context of VFR tourism. This is because existing studies on VFR communities appear to be focused on European and Western societies such as Marschall ( 2017 ) and Rogerson ( 2017 ), with few studies dedicated to VFR tourism patterns in the rest of the world, including the Asia-Pacific, of which Australia is a part (Li et al. 2008 ). An industry-commissioned study investigating the future of Asia-Pacific tourism identified VFR tourism as one core niche market of growth (Amadeus 2013 ). Clearly, the VFR tourism effect can no longer be ignored especially when the Asian region is touted to possess several key emerging tourism economies (Tolkach et al. 2015 ).

The chapter will illuminate findings from 94 Taiwanese VFR hosts who had participated in VFR experiences around Brisbane and have shared their insights via an online questionnaire. Using the case of Taiwanese tourists, the research pays attention to the role of collective cultures and how this manifests across VFR decisions. As with many other Asian countries, Taiwan is a nation possessing collective cultures that are exhibited across characteristics such as high-power distances, filial piety and emphasis on harmony across social ties (Wang and Tamis-Lemonda 2003 ). These attributes provide a useful basis to unpack the specific actions taken by the VFR hosts over the duration of their travel experience. Outcomes of the research can likewise encourage managerial practices in terms of how to customise suitable itineraries in support of quality VFR tourism experiences.

3 Collective Cultures in Tourism Research

Some studies have emerged to shed light on how Asian collective cultures operate within tourism. Aside from Etemaddar et al. ( 2016 ), there remains a paucity of recent research investigating the role of collective cultures in a VFR context. Nonetheless, a cursory list of studies in tourism employing the frame of collective cultures is presented in Table 3.1 . These studies reveal what is currently known about collective cultures within tourism.

From Table 3.1 , one can glean that the role of collective cultures has been assessed out of mainly the service exchange between host and visitors, though none of these were in a VFR context. Moreover, these experiences were analysed where the visitor may no longer have any further involvement with the host (Yuksel et al. 2006 ; Hsieh and Tsai 2009 ). This does not apply to VFR tourism as the relational ties continue to exist pre, during and post the VFR tourism experience.

In a VFR context, two other studies have alluded to the manner in which collective cultures may be operationalised. Schanzel et al. ( 2014 ) investigated the VFR experiences of the Polynesian community in New Zealand and found that there are specific social and moral obligations from a host’s perspective. Likewise, Shani and Uriely ( 2012 ) reiterated that the hosting of VFR increases the pressures on hosts given the perceived expectations placed by the visiting party. A plausible explanation for this is that for many Asian countries, some individuals contemplate a better life abroad, and as such those travelling on VFR purposes also anticipate that their hosts have realised the “Australian dream” (Forrest et al. 2014 ; James 2007 ; Siar 2011 ). Despite these insights, there is a paucity as to how VFR tourism decisions are made within Asian collective cultures, such as the Taiwanese diaspora in Brisbane. As such, this study seeks to address this knowledge gap by providing answers to this research question – How are VFR decisions made within collective cultures?

4 Asian Collective Culture VFR Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework depicted in Fig. 3.6 is adapted from the work of Meng ( 2010 ). While there are other VFR models (i.e. Backer 2008 ; Lockyer and Ryan 2007 ), Meng’s ( 2010 ) work allows for the role of collective cultures to be assessed against other variables in influencing VFR tourism decisions. In particular, the study aims to tease out how the effect of collective cultures from a Taiwanese perspective shapes the different VFR decisions, including accommodation, dining and attractions visited.

Asian collective culture VFR conceptual framework (Adapted from Meng 2010 , p. 344)

This model facilitates the role that collective cultures play in the VFR tourism decisions but also enable other considerations such as economic factors (e.g. affordability) and personal background (e.g. number of previous VFR experiences/visits) to be analysed in combination on the relevant tourism decisions. Knowing about these outcomes assists with illuminating more about the research question within the context of Asian VFR tourism.

5 Methodology

A quantitative, self-administered online survey was the test instrument for this study. The survey comprised measurement items drawn from extant literature (see, for instance, Backer 2007 , 2010 ; Bischoff and Koenig-Lewis 2007 ; Liu and Ryan 2011 ; Shani and Uriely 2012 ). All items were presented in the form of statements with respondents asked to indicate how much they agreed with each statement on five-point Likert-type scales with 1 = totally disagree and 5 = totally agree. Questions were developed around VFR decisions by categories (e.g. accommodation, dining, attractions) and also to obtain socio-demographic information of the travel party, such as gender, age and number of children. These considerations were included in terms of the “personal background” within the theoretical framework, in order to elucidate if the different contexts have any bearing on how collective cultures manifest in terms of VFR tourism decisions.

Three criteria were applied to the research. First, respondents had to be Taiwanese residents in Brisbane. Second, each respondent must have participated in a VFR experience at least 12 months prior to the research. Studies have shown that participants are best able to recollect their tourism decision-making if it was something that had happened recently, as compared to the distant past (Harlow and Yonelinas 2016 ; Lee 2000 ). Third, each respondent must be at least 18 years of age. This criterion was set as the minimum age for someone to have a credit history in order to rent accommodation is 18 years in Australia (Irby 2016 ). To obtain a pool of suitable participants for the research, an online survey was developed in English and subsequently translated to traditional Mandarin so that native Taiwanese speakers could understand the aims and objectives of the research and likewise choose to respond to the survey in either language. Translation was conducted through the use of three native Taiwanese residents in Brisbane. This iterative process enabled the researcher to also pretest the survey for clarity and to avoid ambiguity of terms. Following this process, details of the online survey were disseminated across locations that could be easily accessed by the Taiwanese diaspora. This included the following locations:

Newspaper advertisements in local Chinese newspapers

Restaurant point-of-sale displays

Schools delivering traditional Mandarin classes

Shopping centre notice boards

Social media communities such as Facebook

Supermarket bulletin boards

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brisbane and Sunnybank

Approval was first sought with the relevant organisations prior to posting information on their premises and with consent of administrators on online sites. Data was collected over a period of 6 months from September 2015 to February 2016. The rationale for this time period is because of the spring and summer seasons that are popular tourist months for inbound visitors to Brisbane, including Taiwanese tourists (Lin et al. 2011 ). This time period also creates opportunities to host VFR tourists because of two school holiday periods – 2 weeks at the end of September 2015 and mid-December 2015 to late January 2016. The six-month window also coincides with the Chinese New Year festival that often takes places at the end of January to mid-February annually. This is an important festival to the Taiwanese community because it is about celebrating new beginnings and often involves family reunions (Feng and Page 2000 ). Hence, this window of 6 months is well-suited to obtain relevant insights to understand VFR tourism regarding the Taiwanese diaspora in Brisbane. Over the 6 months, 94 useable online surveys were obtained for analysis. Notably, the survey required respondents to answer all non-demographic questions in order to progress through the survey, as such, there was no missing data concerning the constructs of interest.

A brief overview of the respondent characteristics is presented in Table 3.2 .

One-way ANOVAs were conducted to assess if there were statistical differences between the dependent variables and those independent variables highlighted in Table 3.2 . Table 3.3 summarises three dimensions where statistical differences have emerged and will be further discussed in light of collective cultures and how these influence VFR decision-making in a Taiwanese context.

The first finding revealed that those who have hosted more VFR trips appear to feature groups that stay for a shorter duration of time. This outcome is particularly unique to the Taiwanese market and potentially other Asian contexts. While other studies may suggest that VFR tourism is more likely to be unstructured and therefore less likely limited by time dimensions, the Taiwanese VFR market is one that is particularly influenced by labour economies where its workforce is known for having one of the shortest durations of recreational leave per year (Tsai 2012 ). Most Taiwanese professions have around 7–10 days of recreational leave, and this number does not increase significantly until the individual has accumulative work experience of a decade with the same employer (Feng and Han 2010 ). As such, Taiwanese propensity for travel is often restricted to national holidays, with recreational leave used sparingly (Morais et al. 2005 ). Therefore, this could be a plausible explanation as to why VFR travel to Australia is of a short timeframe, unlike other VFR tourism patterns in a Western context. For example, Backer et al. ( 2017 ) noted longer timeframes for several Western cultures in their VFR travel typologies. Australia is also a country that is considered a long-haul flight of at least 9 h, which means that the VFR travel party loses additional time travelling from and back to Taiwan. These factors lend further clarity as to why short VFR trips are a feature of the Taiwanese market to Australia.

The second statistically significant outcome was recorded when study respondents were posed with the question concerning number of children in the VFR travel party. This study found that when the VFR travel party consisted of more children, the greater the likelihood that VFR tourism was undertaken to Australia. While Table 3.3 indicates that most VFR tourists were adults with no kids, those that featured more prominently within the classification of repeat travellers appeared to be families with children. This surprising outcome could be explained by the effect of collective cultures in fostering closer ties among friends and relatives by allowing children of both the host and visitor families to meet and strengthen ties. According to Khoo-Lattimore et al. ( 2015 ), family travel in an Asian context is often prompted by children and their preferences. Hence, VFR travel to meet loved ones in Australia can be one way to trigger interest in undertaking VFR tourism. Of those who did not utilise any commercial accommodation, a third of the decision-making groups comprised of at least one child. These visiting families with children stay in the residential homes of their hosts, with children likely to share spaces such as bedding arrangements and play areas. Such an outcome further amplifies the roles that children play in terms of steering travel decision-making and probably within VFR tourism. Addressing the gaps in the roles of children within Asian tourism as highlighted by Wang et al. ( 2004 ), this finding lends an important contribution as to how children influence VFR travel in a Taiwanese and possibly Asian contexts.

When the data was further examined using ANOVA and linear regression analyses, some additional insights were extracted to suggest a nuanced understanding of how VFR travel decisions are made in a Taiwanese context. These statistically significant outcomes are presented in Table 3.4 .

Table 3.4 further illuminates the distinctive patterns emerging from the influence of collective cultures on VFR decision-making in an Asian context as in the case of the Taiwanese family units. This was amplified in the effect of volunteering to pay for the expenses of the visiting family and also where close relations existed. This degree of hospitableness was consistent with what Shani and Uriely ( 2012 ) had found, in that hosts’ expenses increased considerably during and around VFR experiences. Collective cultures further translated its effect into an expectation that all involved in the VFR group were to be at their best behaviour, including that of the host. This desire to present one’s best were also exemplified in some other aspects, such as selecting appropriate dining experiences for VFR family members.

When experiences involved first-time VFR guests, there were also interesting findings in that host families would purchase souvenirs for them and also make the additional effort, make time available from other commitments and visit attractions that would otherwise have not been considered. The practice of gift giving is particularly embedded within Asian cultures, both as a form of social exchange and fostering relational ties (Yang and Paladino 2015 ). Applied to a VFR context, the effect of gift giving is given greater attention, especially when this is symbolic of welcoming first-time visitors at initial encounters (Lotz et al. 2003 ). The gift is an extension of the act of hospitality and serves to reinforce social self-images, an important construct within Asian cultures (Liu et al. 2010 ).

Another interesting outcome was that gender appear to be a discriminant variable for VFR decisions related to the right of visitors to reside with hosts. Female respondents indicated that there was a propensity to have visitors stay with their households during the VFR experiences. This finding was not previously highlighted in previous VFR-related studies, which offers some insights as to who are the key decision-makers in such experiences. While Zalatan ( 1998 ) alluded to the role of wives in terms of tourism decisions based on prior experience and task specialisation, this study contributes to VFR decisions in an Asian context in alignment with the work of Schanzel and Smith ( 2011 ) in arguing that the father figure in terms of family tourism decisions is likewise minimal. This may be explained by the general belief that women are empowered to make decisions in relation to how the family is (re)presented to friends and relatives (Acharya et al. 2010 ). In Asia and potentially many other regions of the world, women appear to have or are expected to have a duty of care to ensure that they get their household in order (Bulbeck 2005 ). These gender-based duties are likely to be further scrutinised within VFR experiences, which future studies could investigate under the lens of collective cultures exhibited within Asian contexts (Backer and King 2016 ).

A final point from Table 3.4 suggests that older respondents were more inclined to have their VFR visitors stay with them. This finding differs to the work of McKercher ( 1996 ) whose non-Asian study found no significant differences among VFR decision-makers by age. The distinction may be attributed to the effect of collective cultures weighing in on the accommodation decision. This is because possessions such as one’s property have connotations for the Asian family and its values (Tolia-Kelly 2004 ). For this reason, older respondents ascribe greater affinity to having their visitors stay with them, as they are often the first-generation migrants to Brisbane, thereby desiring to play the roles of good hosts as home owners. This dutiful responsibility is thereby extended to visitors from abroad and reiterates the importance of one’s assets as an extension of the self-image (Belk 1988 ; Sirgy et al. 2005 ). In the vein of collective cultures, assets have an even enlarged role in depicting how one has thrived in a diasporic movement and hopefully a better quality of life than the home environment (Moos and Skaburskis 2010 ).

7 Conclusion, Limitations and Future Studies

In conclusion, the study sought to explore the effect of collective cultures on VFR decision-making in an Asian context. This has been addressed to some extent by examining the decision-making of 94 Taiwanese VFR hosts and their related decisions. The research has shown that from the perspective of the Taiwanese market segment, collective cultures appear to have some bearing on the VFR decisions and manifest in ways that are perhaps unique to Asian tourism patterns. Collectively, the research found unique attributes related to Asian VFR experiences. These are:

Propensity for shorter but frequent VFR trips

Preference for residing with host family in their residences, especially for older respondents

Expectation for all in the group to be at their best behaviour

Emphasis on host to be hospitable and responsible for most financial decisions and gifts

Women as being more involved and morally obliged to be involved in the VFR experience

Two managerial implications stem from the findings. First, the propensity for shorter but frequent VFR trips may be of interest to airlines to create special airfares for the VFR market. Second, the preferences of guests residing with their host family in their residences enable tourism businesses such as restaurants to cater meals for at-home dining experiences.

However, this study is not without its limitations. The research draws from a single sample of Taiwanese VFR hosts located in a single region of South East Queensland, Australia. Other collective cultures may exhibit different VFR tourism decision-making processes and also show variations depending on the destination choice. Furthermore, the data set comprised of a high proportion of female respondents, where other studies could replicate the study dedicated to male hosts of VFR tourism experiences. Additionally, the research draws from one point in time based on the last VFR hosting experience. A longitudinal investigation of VFR hosting experiences may provide different perspectives. These limitations notwithstanding, the research has offered a nuanced perspective of the manifestation of collective cultures within VFR that may be used to launch future studies.

As this study is one of the earliest papers to investigate VFR decision-making in a collective culture, future studies may consider exploring the paths within the conceptual model, especially the effect of personal background and other factors on VFR tourism decisions. A future stream of research can also build on further opportunities to validate mediating and moderating roles of constructs building on the work in this study. Dwelling types and VFR intentions will likely warrant other VFR research projects. This could examine how changes to the home environment, in moving from rental properties that inhibit additional guests to apartment units and upsizing of one’s homes to houses due to changing family structures, can accommodate VFR experiences. Additionally, this study may be replicated in other contexts of collective cultures such as indigenous groups within large communal homes where the extended family may reside in one large dwelling (Schanzel et al. 2014 ).

Overall, the study has documented that Asian travellers, in particular Taiwanese VFR hosts, are unique in terms of their decisions due to the role that collective cultures play. Hence, the value placed on social relations, and its corresponding impact associated with social self-images, help shape the nature of VFR tourism decisions from a Taiwanese host’s perspective living in Brisbane. Therefore, tourism academics and practitioners should formulate a customised approach in facilitating high-quality VFR experiences to further reap the potential of VFR tourism across destinations that regularly feature VFR mobilities. These experiences could be centred on some key events or milestones, such as commemorative events, and allowing the extended family to participate as one large unit (Mottiar 2016 ). Such efforts can assist to realise the potential economic and social value of VFR and its contributions to tourism.

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Tham, A., Raciti, M.M. (2018). Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) Tourism Decisions Within Collective Cultures: Insights from Taiwanese Hosts Residing in Brisbane, Australia. In: Yang, E., Khoo-Lattimore, C. (eds) Asian Cultures and Contemporary Tourism. Perspectives on Asian Tourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7980-1_3

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