| Author: | Zhang, Hongbo |
| Title: | Tourist stereotype content and interaction in cross-cultural service encounters : the perspective of service providers |
| Advisors: | Hsu, Cathy (SHTM) |
| Degree: | DHTM |
| Year: | 2025 |
| Subject: | Tourism -- Management Tourists -- Social aspects Intercultural communication Communication and culture Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | School of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | xiii, 186 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Based on the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) and Intergroup Contact Theory (ICT), this study examines how Italian tourism service providers perceive and interact with Chinese group tourists during cross-cultural service encounters. It draws on the author's seven years of experience in the tourism industry, documented through participatory observation notes and a collection of reputable industry articles. Additionally, it incorporates semi-structured interviews conducted with thirty tourism employees and experts who have had direct contact with Chinese group tourists. The study employs abductive thematic analysis to identify five dimensions of tourist stereotypes and exemplify their categories and attributes from the perspective of service providers. The conceptual model illustrates that positive interactions are more likely to occur when perceived heterogeneous appearance, convergent mentality, and low deviance coexist with high warmth and high competence. In contrast, negative interactions are more probable when perceived homogeneous appearance, divergent mentality, and high deviance are coupled with low warmth and low competence. The model further proposes that positive stereotypes and interactions reinforce one another, creating a virtuous cycle that extends beyond service interactions to broader social interactions. Conversely, negative interactions perpetuate negative stereotypes, establishing a detrimental cycle that exacerbates intergroup divisions. Additionally, group size and temporal factors act as contextual factors that influence the interplay between stereotypes and interactions. This study contributes to the development of new knowledge regarding how service providers cognitively perceive and interact with Chinese group tourists during cross-cultural service encounters. It presents novel findings related to tourist stereotype content and introduces the stereotypes and interactions model. The study elucidates how these stereotypes and interactions function and interrelate by integrating ICT into the existing literature on tourist stereotypes. Practically, the research offers valuable insights and constructive interventions for tourism service providers, Chinese group tourists, and other stakeholders, aimed at enhancing cross-cultural service encounter experiences and mitigating the negative effects of stereotypes. This, in turn, facilitates positive intergroup relations between service providers and tourists. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8709.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 1.79 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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