Tourist stereotype content : dimensions and accessibility

Abstract

Stereotyping tourists is a common practice by hosts to deal with large numbers of culturally different tourists, while research on tourist stereotypes remains limited. Two studies were conducted herein to explore and assess the content and common dimensions of stereotypes shared across tourist groups. Study 1 collected 234 responses from Hong Kong residents to an online repertory grid test. Three dimensions were extracted by a conjunction of multidimensional scaling and content analyses – Civility, Travel Behaviour, and Economic Power. Study 2 collected 97 tourist-host interaction stories from 20 Hong Kong residents. A narrative analysis not only validated the tri-dimension identified by Study 1, but also assessed each dimension's accessibility and predictability by examining residents' emotional and behavioural responses.