Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices

Tourism is not only economic activity, but also a cultural phenomenon. It is a cultural complex with a specific content, features and functions. Forms and types of tourism are determined by geographical and sociocultural parameters. The spa town of Piešťany (Slovakia) is the flagship of the Slovak (...

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Autores principales:	Ladislav Lenovsky, Michala Dubská
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN ES
Publicado:	Universidad de Guadalajara 2015
Materias:	spa tourism intercultural communication multicultural spa society arab clientele culture shock culture adaptation International relations JZ2-6530
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/390c0bd25b484f28bae230be4f052e46
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:390c0bd25b484f28bae230be4f052e46
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:390c0bd25b484f28bae230be4f052e462021-11-04T14:55:05ZArab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices2007-983410.32870/in.v0i5.2740https://doaj.org/article/390c0bd25b484f28bae230be4f052e462015-07-01T00:00:00Zhttps://internaciones.cucsh.udg.mx/index.php/inter/article/view/2740https://doaj.org/toc/2007-9834Tourism is not only economic activity, but also a cultural phenomenon. It is a cultural complex with a specific content, features and functions. Forms and types of tourism are determined by geographical and sociocultural parameters. The spa town of Piešťany (Slovakia) is the flagship of the Slovak (former Czechoslovak and Austrian-Hungarian) spa industry. Internationality and a high number of spa clients is still a significant feature of the town. Probably the most different and most contentious spa clients are Arabs. A different way of their life and specific cultural patterns cause various, both positive and negative emotions on the side of the domestic population and also a certain part of European clientele. In the 70s, people of dark skin, dressed in long robes, appeared in the streets, parks, shops and hotels. Veiled women were always accompanied by a man. All of them spoke an unknown language. Their behaviour in many situations was different, peculiar and difficult to explain. Local people experienced culture shock. But many providers of accommodation, taxi drivers, prostitutes and employees of spas, hotels and restaurants have become friends with Arab clients. Economic profit resulting from spa tourism caused partial transformation/modification of certain stereotypes and prejudices about Arabs/Muslims which were commonly spread in the Euro-American sociocultural area. Personal relationships are an effective tool for improving intercultural communication, a building of tolerance and formation of a true, unbiased multiculturalism. Due to business relations, two equal categories were formed in a spa environment – service providers (focused on economic profit) and consumers of spa treatments and services (aimed at healing or alleviation of diseases). This relationship, although it is diversified, is relatively equivalent and does not generate any substitutions. Current relations between locals and foreigners should not be too idealized, but these stereotypes and prejudices are only secondary, without much practical significance.Ladislav LenovskyMichala DubskáUniversidad de Guadalajaraarticlespa tourismintercultural communicationmulticultural spa societyarab clienteleculture shockculture adaptationInternational relationsJZ2-6530ENESInternaciones, Iss 5, Pp 97-116 (2015)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN ES
topic	spa tourism intercultural communication multicultural spa society arab clientele culture shock culture adaptation International relations JZ2-6530
spellingShingle	spa tourism intercultural communication multicultural spa society arab clientele culture shock culture adaptation International relations JZ2-6530 Ladislav Lenovsky Michala Dubská Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
description	Tourism is not only economic activity, but also a cultural phenomenon. It is a cultural complex with a specific content, features and functions. Forms and types of tourism are determined by geographical and sociocultural parameters. The spa town of Piešťany (Slovakia) is the flagship of the Slovak (former Czechoslovak and Austrian-Hungarian) spa industry. Internationality and a high number of spa clients is still a significant feature of the town. Probably the most different and most contentious spa clients are Arabs. A different way of their life and specific cultural patterns cause various, both positive and negative emotions on the side of the domestic population and also a certain part of European clientele. In the 70s, people of dark skin, dressed in long robes, appeared in the streets, parks, shops and hotels. Veiled women were always accompanied by a man. All of them spoke an unknown language. Their behaviour in many situations was different, peculiar and difficult to explain. Local people experienced culture shock. But many providers of accommodation, taxi drivers, prostitutes and employees of spas, hotels and restaurants have become friends with Arab clients. Economic profit resulting from spa tourism caused partial transformation/modification of certain stereotypes and prejudices about Arabs/Muslims which were commonly spread in the Euro-American sociocultural area. Personal relationships are an effective tool for improving intercultural communication, a building of tolerance and formation of a true, unbiased multiculturalism. Due to business relations, two equal categories were formed in a spa environment – service providers (focused on economic profit) and consumers of spa treatments and services (aimed at healing or alleviation of diseases). This relationship, although it is diversified, is relatively equivalent and does not generate any substitutions. Current relations between locals and foreigners should not be too idealized, but these stereotypes and prejudices are only secondary, without much practical significance.
format	article
author	Ladislav Lenovsky Michala Dubská
author_facet	Ladislav Lenovsky Michala Dubská
author_sort	Ladislav Lenovsky
title	Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
title_short	Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
title_full	Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
title_fullStr	Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
title_full_unstemmed	Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
title_sort	arab clients in the spa shop: culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices
publisher	Universidad de Guadalajara
publishDate	2015
url	https://doaj.org/article/390c0bd25b484f28bae230be4f052e46
work_keys_str_mv	AT ladislavlenovsky arabclientsinthespashopcultureshockstereotypesandprejudices AT michaladubska arabclientsinthespashopcultureshockstereotypesandprejudices
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Arab clients in the spa shop: Culture shock, stereotypes and prejudices

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