Cultural Dimensions and the International Tourist Role Scale: Validation in Asian Destinations?

This study tests the homogeneity of international visitors from more than 50 countries to Thailand (Phuket) and Vietnam (Hanoi) using Hofstede's cultural dimensions. It addresses the issue whether it is nationality or, instead, cultural values that are related to holiday motivations, and therefore the more important criterion for segmenting the market. Replicating the International Tourist Role Scale succeeded in principle; however, not without some adaptations and critical questions to the scale. Comparing a limited number of countries of origin (11), it could be shown that travelers at the destination share many more cultural values among themselves than with their respective national sample scores, i.e. their counterparts at home. Overall, the proposed hypothesis that cultural orientation affects travel motivations could be confirmed at a weak-to-medium level of strength.