A Generalized Approach to Tourist Ethnocentrism (GATE): Analysis of the GenE Scale for Application in Tourism Research

Abstract

The tourism phenomenon essentially entails a quest and encounter with the otherness, which are often articulated in the traveler’s involvement with worlds, values, and lives of those inhabiting other cultures. Tourists however, as ordinary people, are not immune to intergroup biases, which constitute important behavioral determinants. Drawing on seminal accounts from intercultural communication, marketing, and psychology, the authors propose a Generalized Approach to Tourist Ethnocentrism (GATE) which considers biased perceptions toward out-group members and their culture, while moving beyond the traditional scope of the home country’s economy. Additionally, the study explored and modeled the Generalized Ethnocentrism (GenE) scale for application in tourism research. A second data set (n=302) further confirmed the psychometric properties, along with the fit and robustness of the proposed model. The GenE is presented to tourism research as a Type II reflective first-order formative second-order construct, whose causal indicators include cultural bias and personal prejudice. Research implications are discussed.

Understanding tourists’ motivations to launch a boycott on social media: A case study of the #BoycottMurree campaign in Pakistan

“…Second, this study illustrated that tourist ethnocentrism is a powerful anti-boycott motivational behavior. The results contribute to the nascent body of knowledge on tourist ethnocentrism describing it as a behavioral determinant of positive in-group bias (Boukamba et al, 2020). The study findings add to the conceptualization of tourist ethnocentrism by extending its scope beyond intercultural relations between countries and not anchoring tourism as only a product of cross-cultural consumption.…”

“…Tourist ethnocentrism is stated as an individual’s prescriptive belief and perceived moral responsibility to nourish domestic tourism in the country (Kock et al, 2019). Ethnocentrism is a positive in-group bias that reflects a systematic preference for the home nation or citizens over the other nations (Boukamba et al, 2020). According to Hofstede’s (1980) cultural dimensional model, people in collectivist countries such as Pakistan tend to be more ethnocentric than people hailing from individualistic cultures.…”

“…Tourist ethnocentrism is described as a positive in-group bias principally concerned with the domestic tourism economy and stakeholders involved in it (Kock et al, 2019). Generally, tourist ethnocentrism is seen as an intercultural phenomenon influenced by skewed political, social, cultural and economic differences between countries (Boukamba et al, 2020). However, the kind of ethnocentrism evident in the comments calls out against the boycott of Murree to support the traditionally frail domestic tourism economy of Pakistan, citing three reasons that are described as follows:…”

How does discrimination occur in hospitality and tourism services, and what shall we do? A critical literature review

“…Nonetheless, tourists themselves are also enforcers of ethnocentrism. Boukamba et al (2020) proposed the generalized approach to tourist ethnocentrism (GATE) framework to capture tourists' biased perceptions towards out-group members. Tourism is perceived as an effective way to eliminate cultural stereotypes and improve intercultural understanding (Chung and Chen, 2019;Raymond and Hall, 2008).…”

“…Ethnocentrism is largely rooted in social, religious, cultural and ideological differences (Butler and Baum, 1999). Ethnocentric beliefs are formed with perceived relative ethnic and social status, which leads to deepened intercultural stereotypes and biases (Boukamba et al , 2020; Kock et al , 2019). Additionally, after the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001, Muslim ethnicities were particularly and severely stereotyped in Western countries (unpredictable, terrorist tendency; Nguyen et al , 2017).…”