Cultural dimensions and image: an essay on the impacts of masculinity and individualism on the interpretation of the sustainability of tourism destinations

Abstract

The phenomenon of sustainability has been discussed systematically within academic settings since the 70’s. Even though some debates have already expanded significantly the approaching possibilities on the subject, there still seems to be a lack of discussion on its relationship with the cultural characteristics of different societies. Hence, the purpose of this essay is to discuss how the image of the sustainability of tourism destinations can vary across different social groups, whose values show opposite levels with regard to cultural aspects such as masculinity and individualism as proposed by Hofstede (1980). As suggested by the literature, both image and sustainability constructs are directly associated with cultural values (Milbrath, 1984; Mooij, 2010). In this sense, there is an opportunity for in-depth discussions regarding the possible relationships among those constructs. After a theoretical review and critical analysis it was possible to present topics for future research, such as how the interpretation of the sustainability of a destination can be embedded in the cultural influence on sustainable behavior.