Although problems are a fundamental dynamics of tourism knowledge production, a systematic, exclusive, and in-depth study of tourism problems or tourism problemology has been overlooked. This study, which represents the first time to examine the nature of tourism problemology, aims to fill this gap. A theoretical model is developed and partially tested through a survey of 212 Chinese tourism researchers. Results show that researchers generally consider problems as difficulties or contradictions that require resolution. Moreover, personal/environmental factors influence the researchers’ understanding of problems, and such understanding further affects their evaluation and selection of problems at the early stage of research. The study highlights the significance of problems as an important, yet overlooked reflexivity of tourism knowledge production.