Impact of Tourists' Intercultural Interactions
Published online on July 17, 2013
Abstract
This study examines the structure and effects of intercultural interactions between international tourists and local residents. It develops the variables affecting intercultural relationships, the process and outcomes of interactions, and any resultant attitude changes. An integrated model of intercultural interactions was derived from the shared themes, meanings, and patterns that shaped the participants’ tourism experiences. The model is composed of the structures and the effects of the intercultural interactions. These interactions, through reflective, comparative, and comprehensive experiences, impact international tourists’ attitude toward the local people and their culture. This study overcomes the limitations of the existing contact model by presenting a new approach on intercultural interactions and establishing the developed grounded theory derived from the intercultural interactions in the tourism field.