Acceptance of foreigners among the host students in the context of tourism development in Poland

Abstract

This study examines social distance as a basic component of students' attitudes towards foreigners. The methodological approach in this research is designed to provide answers to the question: Does social distance play any role in the context of international tourism? The Bogardus Social Distance Scale was applied. A total number of 162 questionnaires were correctly completed by Polish and Ukrainian students (quota by nationality, age, gender and level of education). The survey was conducted in 2018. The research appears to show a statistically significant relationship between the respondents' declared attitude towards the Muslims and the Gypsies and the willingness to visit the country where such people reside. The findings have shown that there was no statistical relationship between the respondents' attitudes presented towards otherness and the fact that the respondent might know somebody who is a representative of the researched nationalities. The paper contains recommendations for the development of international tourism, especially destination marketing organizations (DMOs). It is recommended to use the social distance measure to set priority directions for inbound tourism when developing tourism marketing strategies, along with taking into account cultural diversity in the individual regions of Poland.