IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL INTERACTION AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN TOURISM

Abstract

Tourism as a social phenomenon may be defined as a special form of indirect contact between two societies which may be comprehended according to the following scheme: communicator-messagereceiver. Therefore, the primary focus of tourism is the communication between tourists and the host destination. Tourism is a result of the interaction of people from emissive countries with the receptive countries. Establishment of contacts with people from different countries and cultures in contrast to the anonymity and alienation encountered in everyday life turns out to be a very important motivation for travelling. The scope of this article is to highlight the importance of the social interaction and effective intercultural communication in tourism encounters. Although tourism encounters may result in mutual appreciation, understanding, respect, tolerance and the overall improvement of the social interactions between individuals, it also represents a potential minefield full of difficulties, which occur mainly due to cultural differences in communication and rules of social behaviour.