Dimensions of national culture as a factor in shaping tourist behaviour and preferences

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research into the role which dimensions of national culture have in shaping tourist behaviour and preferences with the aim to establish quality tourist service and the desired reputation, especially concerning foreign tourists who are characterized by their own cultural features and values. The purpose of this paper is to discover the particularities of the interrelatedness of the dimensions and determine a recommended way of creating a quality tourist service through analysing each particular dimension of national culture and its role in the context of tourist behaviour and preferences. The methods applied in the paper include identification and definition of national culture, defining and determining particularities of national culture dimensions as well as observation of the role of national culture dimensions in shaping tourist behaviour and preferences, which may have relevant implications on creation and management of proper reputation of a tourism product. One of the conclusions of the paper is that dimensions of national culture have an important role in shaping tourist expectations, behaviour and preferences.

Keywords

• national culture
• dimensions of national culture
• reputation
• tourism
• quality tourism service