An intercultural personnel competence in cultural tourism

Purpose – As one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors, cultural tourism increasingly pronouncedly expands the focus of its interest to the various aspects of culture while directing an offer toward the creation of a unique cultural tourist destination’s atmosphere, formed by the tourists, tourist workers, and local population. An encounter and cultural convergence in cultural tourism, based upon an idea of interculturalism as a connection between various cultures, centralize the issue of intercultural competence as a basis of intercultural communication during a tourist contact. Design/methodology – The paper provides for a theoretical survey of basic notions in the field of interculturalism relevant for the establishment of cultural tourism’s intercultural dimension based on an encounter, communication, and acceptance of various cultures. Approach – A theoretical analysis of the key terms in the field of interculturalism is directed to the deepening of intercultural competence’s comprehension, its crucial elements, and indicators, whereby attention is devoted to an importance of intercultural competence as a basis of an intercultural communication between the tourist workers, tourists, and local population. Findings – Starting from a reality that tourist destinations represent the intersections of various cultures, it is necessary to observe cultural tourism as an area of active application of interculturalism, wherein each participant in a tourist contact represents and offers a culture of his/her own. A tourist attention diversification centralizes the issue of structuralization of supply that could satisfy needs for an active acquaintance with other cultures, while the future cultural tourism’s challenges are reflected in the modernly structured contents and programs that would dispel the stereotypes, prejudices, and discrimination in direct contacts between various cultures. Originality – The paper represents a theoretical contribution to an elucidation of personnel’s intercultural competence problematic in cultural tourism within a context of its adjustment to a culturally pluralistic perspective through an experience of diversity as a chance for an individual professional growth.