The relationship between stereotypes and tolerance of international tourists by tourism destination residents: a research based on the moderating effect of cultural distance

Abstract

[eng] In recent years, with the increasing convenience of global transportation and communication, people have been exploring opportunities worldwide, leading to a continuous riseinthepopularity of outbound tourism, which has become an essential part of many people's lives. However, despite the tourism industry driving many sectors and creating significant social value, it has also generated some negative effects, such as the increasingly evident conflicts betweenresidents of tourist destinations and visitors. This paper takes Mallorca as a case study site, focusing on local residents to understandtheir stereotype of tourists from Germany, the United Kingdom, and China. It examines howtheir stereotypes of tourists from these three countries affect their tolerance towards themandmeasures their perceived cultural distance from these tourists. The study aims to validatewhether the cultural distance between hosts and guests moderates the impact of stereotypeontolerance. The research seeks to explore the objective laws affecting residents' subjectiveperceptions of tourists and proposes suggestions to improve host-guest relationships at tourist destinations to promote healthy and sustainable development. The research methodology is as follows: Firstly, by reviewing relevant studies on stereotype, tolerance, and cultural distance and considering their relationships, the study attemptstoconstruct a hypothetical model. Then, combining previous scales, tailored scales andquestionnaires on stereotype, tolerance, and perceived cultural distance for Mallorcaaredesigned, and data is collected through field surveys of residents. Next, empirical conclusionsare obtained through quantitative analysis using Stata software. Finally, based on the findings, suggestions are proposed to improve host-guest relationships for various stakeholdersinMallorca. This paper finds that residents' stereotype of tourists at tourist destinations influencetheir tolerance towards them, with more positive stereotype leading to higher tolerance. In the processof residents' stereotype affecting their tolerance towards tourists, the cultural distance betweenhosts and guests has a negative moderating effect. The longer the cultural distance, the smaller the impact of stereotype on tolerance, and the shorter the cultural distance, the more significant the moderating effect.