TOPIC 5 MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TOURISM

MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TOURISM

With many improvements in the tourism industry, transportation, road connectivity, travel
within and outside a country, and people working outside of their area of residence locally,
regionally, and internationally, crossing borders is now easier on everyone.

Roads have improved tremendously in the last 10 years, almost allowing people to travel
from north to south of the Philippines fully by land. Ferries and Roll-ons/Roll-offs (RoRo) are
available to transport cars and buses to connecting islands. Cars, buses, trains, and many
mass transit vehicles are available at a range of price that is affordable for various types of
customers. The same thing can be said about water and airline travel-a variety of prices and
carriers are available, and because of technology, improvements in the transport services
have made travel more efficient and effective. Before, it took two days to travel, now it takes
less than 24 hours. There used to be no low-cost carriers available, but now there is a host
of travel arrangements that can be made.

What does this mean for the tourism professional? Work applications are not confined
anymore to the place of residence nor within the region but can be outside of the region,
island, or country.

What does this mean for the customers? The same thing as the worker. They can travel to
different places and countries. It is not just the physical distance that has changed, but
because of technology, everything is within easy access. Social media platforms and
websites allow easy access to information and collaborations to learn about practices,
celebrations, and other things like people, places, and things. The circle of friends that a
person may have has exponentially grown as compared to 20 years ago.

The oft-repeated saying "the world is getting smaller" is not anymore an impossibility but a
reality. It is not only getting smaller; traveling and connecting with people are now
becoming easier and quicker. With this borderless world, it has given rise to the Global
Citizen, who may not be confined to a being a "citizen of one country but one who can be
considered a "native" of several countries." A good example of this is when parents, who
come from different countries, have a child who was born in another country, educated in
different countries, or went to school where there are international students. This student
would have a "global perspective" compared to one who has parents who come from one
place and just stayed in one place the entire time they were growing up. The Global Citizen
would gain an increasing interconnectedness between individuals, circles of friends,
countries, and economies, allowing for a global dimension. With technology, it is now easier
to get to know a person from another country and maintain either a personal or business
relationship with them. (Israel, 2012)
In the workplace, there will always be colleagues or customers who are not naturally local to
the place, bringing together people who have different cultural backgrounds who are
expected to work as a team and provide the products and services to meet the standards of
the enterprise.

The term "multicultural" is also synonymous with the words "culturally-diverse," "pluralism,"
"diversity," "cross-culturalism," "ethnic inclusiveness," "ethnic mosaic," and "multiracialism."

Culture has several elements as discussed in Chapter 1. These elements interact with other
elements within a person. It would be rare to find two persons, even within the same family,
even with identical twins, with the exact same cultural background. There may be
similarities, but each one will have a unique cultural content, and this is what makes people
different from each other.

Bringing several persons together will have their own circle of cultural elements interact with
each other's. This is what gives rise to the multicultural diversity concerns.

Multiculturalism

This concept is created when a set of beliefs and behaviors acknowledges and supports the
existence of different communities within an organization or society, and as a result,
acknowledges and values its sociocultural differences, and promotes and facilitates its
continued participation within an inclusive cultural framework that empowers everyone
within an organization or society. (Rosado, 2010)

Each person has their own set of beliefs that they bring to any relationship, including their
workplace. Even if two people come from the same family, with the same parents and
environment, due to the concept of "nature versus nurture," they would have a different
appreciation for certain elements of culture because each person is unique.

When people bring their own beliefs, language, and other elements of culture to their
relationships, they may exercise common understanding and acceptance, but in some
instances, there could be challenges. There would be misunderstandings that may result in
work-related output.

Thus, there is a need to understand each person and the "cultural baggage” that they bring
to the workplace. The "cultural baggage" would be the totality of the person that includes
all the elements of culture that they have acquired from their family and all their interactions
with other people. The tourism professional can provide the products and services, in
collaboration with colleagues, that are needed by customers and better handle the situation.
LEARN to Be Multicultural

There are many good references for multiculturalism in tourism available today. However, it
will take a lot of interaction, experience, and learnings to equip tourism professionals with
the skills that can help them become more multiculturally sensitive.

The following chapters have several selected incidents in the life of Filipino tourism
professionals that will help jumpstart the vicarious experience journey.

The strength of these experiences is that all of these are from Filipinos. Though we may
each have unique cultural elements, we share many common elements that will make it easy
for us to relate.

To fully appreciate the experiences, look at each reflection and LEARN how to be
multicultural.

L- look and listen

E- empower

A- Acknowledge, adopt, adapt

R- respect

N- nurture

Look and Listen

In any given situation, look at the total scenario as there may be underlying factors that can
contribute to the appreciation of the cultural elements. Listen to the discussion because
sometimes, verbal communication may be a challenge due to accent, tone, or lack of
proficiency with a common language. If a foreign language is used by someone who is not
proficient in that language, such as the English language, the sender or receiver of the
message may resort to the use of nonverbal communication to make themselves be
understood. If the idea of the message is not received, miscommunication can happen, and
the delivery of product or service is endangered within the workplace or for customers.

The tourism professional must use all of their senses to get the most of the opportunity to
learn more about their colleagues and customers, especially regarding cultural impact.

Empower
Learning does not happen only inside the classroom. Lifelong learning in various locations
continues even after graduation. There may be enterprise based training that will be given
to employees, and these opportunities are highly encouraged especially if essential (soft)
skills in service training is provided. The focus is no longer on the technical skills but on the
ways how to provide a better service and understand colleagues and customers better.

Acknowledge, Adopt, Adapt

There is a need to acknowledge that there are differences among us. There is no one
standard way of how a Filipino reacts or behaves, considering that there are many distinct
regional cultural elements that may affect the person. After acknowledging that there are
differences among people, a choice can be made by the person to either adopt or adapt to
the cultural element. If after the acknowledgment, conflict with pre-existing values or other
elements arises, adoption can be made. If there is still a conflict, then adaption can be made.

Respect

There is no one superior or inferior culture. Tourism professionals should respect differences
and similarities among cultural elements as this becomes an exciting way to know more
about colleagues and customers.

Nurture

Tourism professionals should nurture themselves with new learnings and grow with the
times as part of a changing mindset. Some cultural elements may no longer be relevant to
the times and thus may need to be updated. Some that are still relevant should be nurtured
so that the distinct cultural elements of the region/family are still present.