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What is social contact?
- An interpersonal encounter which occurs between a minimum of two persons
- Potential to be positive or negative
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What two parties can social contact occur between in tourism?
- Tourist - Host (waiter - guest)
- Tourist - Tourist (in tour group)
- Tourist - Potential tourist
- Tourist - Provider (financial relationship)
- Host - Host (contiki tours)
- Host - Provider (travel agencies - hotels)
- Provider - Potential Tourist (sales perspective)
- Provider - Provider (airlines - travel agents)
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Definition of a tourist
The activites of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environemtn for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes
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Another tourist definition
- Movement to and staying at destinations
- Outside the usual environemtn or normal place of residence or work
- Not taking up permanent residence or employment
- Temporary and short-term (max stay 1yr)
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Definition of a host
- "Professional Host" - national of visited country and employed in the tourism undustry providing a service to tourists
- Community in which tourism takes place, independant of direct employment in the tourism industry
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Forms of tourist - host contact
- Purchase of goods and services
- informal meeting at attraction
- information exchange
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Intercultural tourist-host contact (traditionally and more recently)
- Traditionally:
- - tourist => host from host culture
- - EG japanese tourist => australia => served by australian employee
- More recently:
- - tourist => host from non-host culture
- - EG japanese tourist => australia => served by chinese/australian employee
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Intercultural contact in tourism - positive views
- knowledge and understanding of cultures
- development of pride in loval cultural assets
- socialising between tourists and hosts
- learning languages
- research - higher contact intensity = longer contact = more likely to be positive
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Interculatural contact in tourism - negative views
- contact is superficial (short periods of time)
- tourists/hosts perceptions = highly distorted
- danger of stereotyping
- culture clash
- tourist isolation and seperation
- victimization and harassment
- exploitation of culture (tourists sold 'authentic' cultural experience)
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What are some factors influencing tourist-host contact?
- Temporal
- Spatial
- Communication
- Cultural
- Tourism Characteristics
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What are temporal and spatial factors?
- brief, superficial, temporary, non-repetitive
- asymmetric
- commercial, formal, requiring friendliness and strong concern for quality by host
- dependance on opportunity for contact influenced by place
- attitudes towards tourists/hosts
- motivation for contact affects interaction
- perceived costs and benefits
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Cultural Factors
- cultural values
- cultural attitudes: prejudiced person = less intercultural contact
- perceptions
- cultural familiarity and similarity
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Tourism Characteristics:
- type of travel arrangement (eg bus tours - not much interaction, limited time in dest.)
- role of the culture broker (tour guide - experience with them will affect tourist overall exp.)
- stage of tourism development, number of tourists
- existing information
- type of tourism
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Aspects of Cross-cultural interaction (Cronen & Shuter 1983)
- Verbal and non-verbal behaviour (talking & interacting with locals)
- Speech acts (gestures perceived as rude/acceptable)
- Episodes
- Relationships
- Life script
- Cultural patterns
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Define tourist satisfaction:
"..the difference between expectations about a destination and teh experience/perceived performance at the destination"
- - the greater the disparity between expectations and experience the greater the likelihood of dissatisfaction
- - satisfaction is achieved when the expectations are met or exceeded
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Challenges of achieving satisfaction:
- Satisfaction is relative
- Depends on
- - expectations
- - personal values and beliefs
- - importance of outcomes
- - environment in which the exchange takes place
- - perceived quality of service
- Satisfaction is multi-faceted
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