The present study examines the three perceptual factors (cultural, economic, and social) that affect residents’ attitude towards transformation in the search for sustainability. Macao’s Drunken Dragon Festival, China’s intangible cultural heritage, was used as the case. Self-administered surveys were conducted on 378 resident festival participants in 2015 and 692 residents (both participants and non-participants) in 2017. The results show that regardless of previous experiences of participating in the festival, those who perceive more strongly about its cultural values tend to have positive attitudes towards its transformation, which may involve a loss of objective authenticity. Those who perceive more strongly that the festival is exclusive and does not embrace diverse participants are more likely to support its transformation. However, such a perception does not lead to their belief that diverse groups of people should be incorporated into the festival. Only among the non-participants from the sample collected in 2017, the perception that this festival provides economic benefit is associated with positive attitudes towards transforming and incorporating diverse groups of participants. This study provides insight into understanding the residents’ common and differentiated attitudes with regards to how much transformation is necessary to ensure sustainability of a local traditional cultural festival.

The aim of this study is to understand food tourists in comparison with nonfood tourists to Macao, China, especially their profiles and behavioral characteristics, and to understand how much the regional cultural components and image of the gastronomy are associated with these two groups of tourists. Quantitative surveys with 470 visitors including both food tourists and nonfood tourists were conducted. Results revealed that food tourists and nonfood tourists were not differentiated significantly from each other in relation to demographic background or most of the behavioral pattern, including previous visiting experience. Furthermore, food tourists did not have significantly different images about the gastronomic, cultural, and food-related aspects of Macao, except for a few factors such as age and awareness. Additionally, Hongkongers had a stronger image about Macao as a place for Macanese food than other respondents including the mainland Chinese and international visitors. Results of this study add knowledge to the existing body of food tourism literature and provide some insights to the stakeholders involved in food tourism of ways to strengthen the city’s food image for the promotion of the food brand.

Since the theoretical lens of lifestyle mobilities was introduced, there has been a growing interest in the role of mobility in weakening rigid binaries such as home/away and work/leisure. This article draws on this theoretical perspective to explore how sojourners in Macau blur spatial and temporal binaries in their adaptation to their new and temporary situation. Individual thematic interviews with 17 sojourners were conducted, revealing their choice of lifestyle as regards home/away and work/leisure patterns. Theoretically, the study demonstrates how once distinct spheres of social life such as ‘home, ‘away’, ‘work’, and ‘leisure’ are now highly integrated. Sojourners keep a sense of being ‘at home’ through upholding their habitual routine; simultaneously, they feel ‘away from home’ by partly adopting a local lifestyle and exploiting the sightseeing and tourism opportunities. Yet long working hours can highly restrict leisure and in particular tourism activities. Empirically, this study documents different types of lifestyles among Macau sojourners ranging from selective mobilisation of the local resources into a lifestyle attuned to their new temporary circumstances to almost exclusive concentration on work and cultural indifference to the new environment and the opportunities it offers.