The effect of intercultural sensitivity levels and ethnocentric attitudes of tourism employees on service tendency

Acquiring intercultural communication skills has become increasingly important as people from diverse cultures interact and communicate. Developing intercultural communication competence is essential to achieving goals in the tourism sector. This is particularly important as millions of people travel internationally, making effective intercultural communication crucial for eliminating cultural problems and providing smooth services. Culture is related to people's values, norms, and traditions, which can lead to behavioural differences. During service encounters, guests and employees may have different perceptions and expectations due to this situation. Like all service sectors, the tourism industry may face conflicts and challenges due to cultural differences. These difficulties arise from ethnocentrism, which is the tendency to view one's own culture as superior and to evaluate all other situations and events from one's own perspective. Furthermore, people's ethnocentric attitudes can also affect intercultural sensitivity, which involves being aware of cultural differences and perspectives, showing respect and empathy in the relevant process. This study examines whether employees in the tourism sector hold ethnocentric attitudes and the impact of these attitudes on intercultural sensitivity and service disposition. Additionally, the research aims to determine if intercultural sensitivity mediates the relationship between ethnocentric attitudes and service disposition. Firstly, relevant literature was reviewed, and then data was collected from employees in the Black Sea Region tourism sector through a survey. The research, which involved 467 participants from the tourism industry, found that ethnocentric attitudes had a negative and significant impact on intercultural sensitivity and service propensity. On the other hand, intercultural sensitivity had a positive and significant impact on service propensity. The statistical analysis confirmed that the model proposed in the relevant literature worked as a tool to promote intercultural sensitivity and reduce the impact of ethnocentrism on service provision. Upon evaluation, it was found that tourism employees in the Black Sea Region exhibit low levels of ethnocentric attitudes, but high levels of intercultural sensitivity and service tendencies. The study consists of five chapters. The initial section discusses the aim, significance, assumptions, and constraints of the study. The second part of the study focuses on the conceptual framework and delves into intercultural communication, ethnocentrism, intercultural sensitivity, and service disposition. Relevant research supports these issues. The research method is described in the third section, followed by the findings and comments in the fourth. Based on the research results, suggestions were developed in the previous section.