Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality Essay

Cross Cultural Issues in Tourism & Hospitality - Essay Example An analysis of the cultural differences to understand tourism and hospitality service requirements reveals cross cultural differences.The paper examines Japanese and American cultures and describes the differences in social behaviour of each of these cultures. Tourism and hospitality industry, being the most booming one in past decades contribute to the economic and employment development of countries. It is the kind of service which has both subjective and intangible in nature. Understanding tourism service climate and culture is undeniable for sustaining competitive advantage (Kusluvan 487). Clark suggests that national character, defined as the pattern of enduring personality characteristics found among the populations of nations, has profound impact on buyer-seller interactions (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). One way in which national character influences service transactions is through culturally specific norms regarding how and when emotion should be expressed (Feldman and Morris 1995; Grayson 1998 and Mann 1997 qtd. in Kusluvan 237). Ekman states,â€Å"Considerable differences regarding display rules exist across cultres†(qtd in Kusluvan 237).For example,according to Mann,in muslim culture,smiling for a woman can be interpreted as an indication of sexual interest and muslim woman is socialized for not smiling at man.On the other hand American’s norm of service is the display of smile absence of which can harm a female provider’s career(qtd. in Kusluvan 237). â€Å"While no empirical research exists which systematically examines ways in which cultural differences impact display rules and consequently the emotional labor requirements of hospitality and tourism workers,Hofstese’s(1980) frame work of culture offers interesting possibilites† (qtd. in Kusluvan 237). â€Å"According to Hofstede (1980),cultures can vary along four dimensions to