Original scientific paper

Intercultural and educational factors in tourism

Stjepan Jagić ; Sveučilište u Zadru Odjel za pedagogiju

Abstract

The problem of this study concerns tourism as the factor in intercultural and educational changes within receptive and emissive tourist environment in the Republic of Croatia. The concept and problem of the empirical part of this study is based on the theoretical and methodological definition of tourism by Jafar Jafary and Krzystof Przeclawski. Przeclawski defines tourism as contacts among cultures and believes it should be regarded as intercultural contact. This study is based on the assumption that the variables of tourist activity are correlated with the degree of subjects’ ethnocentrism, i.e. attitudes and notions about certain nation or ethnic group. We applied a questionnaire consisting of 34 questions about socio-demographic variables and 18 statements representing elements of ethnocentricity. The scale is defined on the basis of ethnocentrism conceptualized as general tendency to positively evaluate one’s own culture, and at the same time underestimate the members of other cultures. The results (N=446) were analysed by comparing three groups of participants: tourist personnel, local receptive population (not working in tourism) and population from non-tourist regions (dominantly north and central parts of Croatia). Further analyses were conducted regarding two criteria: number of visits and duration of stay in foreign countries. The analysis of results indicating the degree of ethnocentrism suggests that tourism is a significant factor in forming the participants’ degree of ethnocentrism. The degree of ethnocentrism of tourist personnel and local receptive population is higher than that of population from non-tourist regions, but it decreases in function of the duration of participants’ staying in foreign countries. The results of this study show that, from the perspective of intercultural relations, tourism affects both the receptive and the emissive region. The empirical analysis shows that tourism is a first class intercultural phenomenon, strongly promoting and creating intercultural spirit. Therefore, it should be necessary to take into account these facts in creating the general as well as specific educational policy in the Republic of Croatia.

Keywords

culture; multiculturalism; interculturalism; intercultural changes; ethnocentrism; tourism; tourist culture

Hrčak ID:

139314

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/139314

Publication date:

19.5.2006.

Article data in other languages: croatian german

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