The Chinese diaspora in Budapest: a new potential for tourism

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how the architectural features of Chinese restaurants and shops influence the urban tourism destination image of Budapest. Design/methodology/approach – Place marketers' strategies highly influence the “brand image” of a city. Based on the current definition of brand image and on a historical overview of the features of Chinatowns, a comparative model was elaborated to understand how the spaces created by Chinese immigrants can influence the tourism and hospitality industry and contribute to competitiveness. Findings – The findings show that London, Milan and Budapest have elaborated different approaches to integrate Chinese immigrants and these strategies contribute to the economic performance of cities. London enhances the city's cultural and creative diversity also through its Chinatown. The local authority in Milan neglects the benefits of Chinese settlements and aims to create a new hub of Chinese trade and services out of the city center. In Budapest, since the 1990s, the ethnic and economic landscape have been changed as a consequence of the influx of a large number of Chinese immigrants. Research limitations/implications – Although common attributes and different approaches related to Chinese services were highlighted in the three cities, the time series analysis should be deepened. Practical implications – The research offers a new approach to consider Chinese tourism‐related services as a resource having a key role in regeneration of derelict areas in Budapest. Originality/value – This study is an initial attempt to analyze the brand image of a city through Chinese tourism‐related services in a wider European context.