CONTENTS

Chapte
Title
r

Acknowledgements 2

(<>)Introduction 3

1 (<>)Understanding Culture 5

2 Key Features of Culture

3 Tourism and the Tourism Professional

4 Multicultural Diversity in Tourism

5 Multicultural diversity Among Tourism-related Professions

6 Diversities: Simple and Complex

7 Handling Guest or Customer Diversities

8 Handling Multicultural Peer Diversities

9 When Your Superior Is Diverse

10 Diversities in Diverse Locations

11 Five Ways to Become a Diversity Champion

12 Benefits Conclusion
The breadth and width of the tourism industry and impact can be felt significantly not only within tourism but in
many industries that support tourism as well. It impacts providers of products and services that are needed by
tourists, employees within the workplace, and customers, all of whom may come from various locations, locally
and internationally, and with different backgrounds.
The tourism industry contributes 7% of the world’s total gross domestic product or GDP. This translates to
approximately 1.7 trillion dollars that fuels the world’s economy. According to the World Tourism Organization
(WTO), by the year 2030, there will be at least 1.8 billion tourists from the estimated population of 8.5 billion,
which is approximately 21% of the population travelling.
In the Philippines, the industry contributes 12% of the country’s GDP, which translates to Php2.2 trillion that
fuels the Philippine economy based on 2018 statistics. Total employment during this period grew to 5.4 million
jobs,and this only for those directly working in tourism arrivals as well as in tourism jobs from 5% to 7.5%
annually for the next 10 years until 2028.
Many tourism-related establishments in the Philippines employ a multicuturally diverse local and international
workforce due to its intrinsic characteristic that requires unique expertise at various levels and functions.
The Philippines is an archipelagic nation. The department of Environment and National Resources in 2016
released new information through the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority that there are now
7,641 identified islands in the country, more than the 7,107 islands that were previously known. Each of the
islands can have unique cultural practices that are transmitted through the people and work in various tourism
enterprises in any of the islands of the Philippines. Food variances, language differences and religious
practices can be great learning opportunities within the workforce or can create challenges in the work place
that must be resolved for teamwork to happen.
Internationalization in the workplace is created when specialty chefs are employed by food service facilities
such as hotels, restaurants and airline catering companies to cook country specific cuisine like the more
popular French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese dishes. Some cuisines have also been gaining
popularity like Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Greek and Portuguese. These expatriate chefs usually stay
in the country for at least two years and their interaction with local chefs creates learning opportunities for our
local chefs to learn how to make authentic or fusion cuisine. Many of these chefs completely immerse
themselves in Filipino culture and end up staying longer or even settling down marrying our countrymen.
Nationality is another element of cultural diversity a tourism professional will have to addressing the workplace.
This will be presented along with other elements of culture that create opportunities for commonalities and
diversities in other areas, such as languages and dialects, religions, sex, customs, and traditions.
adapt to these diversities to become successful and contribute to our This book was written to help tourism
professionals understand and country’s image of being a hospitable nation. Hospitality includes acceptance of
diverse cultures in this specific context.
The book will explore multicultural diversity starting with the basic principles and concepts, followed by an
experiential perspective that will show how these concepts are practiced. Balancing concepts with cases of
real day-today experiences is the best way to carry these lessons in our lives as tourism professionals.
Activities are included to expound on the concepts learned from each chapter. Exploring the concepts
practiced in the experiences of the students and teachers will encourage them to learn from each other.
Learning and experiencing should be a way of life for us all.

Chapter 1
UNDERSTANDING CULTURE
Many keywords need to be defined before we can understand how these can impact the tourism professional.
A short definition of these keywords, followed by some examples of how these can impact a tourism
professional in the workplace, their relationship with their

colleagues, and how they handle customers and other stakeholders, are presented below.
Culture
Culture refers to the socially constructed and learned ways of behaving and believing that identify individual
and distinct social groups. It is a shared practice of a group of people. These may include the following: beliefs,
values, knowledge, assumptions, experiences and ideas, customs, rituals, symbols, myths and legends of the
people in the community, social activities, Seems, politics, agriculture, industries, laws and ways of justice,
security, health, environment, education, and religion.

Culture shapes a person’s identity and influences the way how he/she thinks, behaves, and forms his/her
values system.It is a dynamic based — on new developments in society that can impact a group of people.
These are passed on from one generation to the next, and some of the elements may change over time.
These elements of the culture are transmitted or passed on to other generations through a combination of
communication, oral and/or writing (language) and art (such as music, song, storytelling, painting and
dance),and they are institutionalized as acceptable for the current group or community. Oftentimes, the change
in the culture standards from generation to generation would result in gaps in the understanding of the different
age groups.
Elements of Culture
Different authors identify different elements of culture. The numbers that are relevant for their study may vary
from one author to another. Some authors identified three, five, eight and more, and there are several reasons
they include these elements in their studies.
Using the relevant information from other studies and authors, this book will focus on selected elements as
they impact the tourism professional significantly. The tourism professional works with members of their team
or within the organization as they deal with guests from various places and with suppliers or other
stakeholders. These elements may create some kind of interaction, so it is better than the tourism professional
is aware of it and knows how to handle them.
The selected elements of culture that impact the tourism professional are the following:
· 1. Art
· 2. Beliefs and Values
· 3. Geography
· 4. Language
· 5. Law and Politics
· 6. Religion
· 7. Technology
· 8. Social Organization
A visual representation of culture is shown below with some of the significant elements that can impact a
culture from a personal perspective.

1. Art
As mentioned by Price (2018) in his blog, “The Importance of Art in our Society,” art is an expression of the
creative ideas and imagination, and the artist can choose a medium to express their craft. Artists can translate
their imagination and ideas into something tangible, and these are valued by other people as they appreciate
and comprehend meaning from the works of the artists.
These creations, physical objects or visuals, can be held, viewed, and reflect a society’s development at a
particular period. The paintings, artifacts, clothing, music, sculptures, dances, plays, literature, architecture,
and other man-made creations hold meaning or significance to a group of people. These pieces of art use
human creative skills that express or apply imagination and may typically take a visual form that can be held or
touched, such as a painting or a sculpture. They are works produced to be appreciated primarily for their
beauty or emotional power. These may also include songs and dances that can reflect an era or time period
that a grouphas experienced in either the past or present.
Some consider art pieces valuable as they were created by artists who are recognized by their people. In some
instances, an art piece is easily identified as coming from a particular place or person and may bring good
memories of that place or person.
As tourism professionals, there may be a need to become familiar with the different art pieces in the
community as these can be a part of the tourism knowledge that customers expect from the tourism enterprise.
2. Beliefs and Values
People choose their source of inspiration and it can be based on beliefs and values that are shared by many
people in the group. As these beliefs succeeding generations. and values are adopted by a followers, they are
passed down to the
Humans are social beings from birth. The circle of community grows from the immediate family to the extended
family, to neighbors, to friends in school to the church, sod to other organizations. This circle grows through the
years as a person establishes relationships with other people. Each person has their own set of values formed
from childhood that will continue to change as they interact with other people. These beliefs are reflected in the
attitudes and behavior that are exhibited by the person. These experiences contribute to the sense of who
each individual is and how the world is viewed from different perspectives.

Values are based on ethics, principles, beliefs, standards, and qualities that a person or a group of people may
hold in high regard. The significant people who will mold the set of values of a person are those who make an
impact on their early life and can guide the way how their decisions will be made in the future. In some
instances, if the values are not strongly ingrainedin a person, due to conflicts in the way it is practiced, that
person will vacillate in the way that a decision is made, depending on what will be beneficial to them. These
values guide how a person will live, make decisions, and nurture and keep relationships.
As tourism professionals, there will be a lot of opportunities to work with people or serve customers with
various backgrounds, from the young,people with disabilities, senior citizens, physically challenged or
vulnerable, and/or those who may live a lifestyle that mainstream society views as different or unacceptable or
maybe unusual based on the upbringing that they experienced. Tourism professionals are expected to provide
productsand services as required by their enterprise. They should understand and aware of differences in
personal values, beliefs, and attitudes of both colleagues and clients in group settings and are prepared to
adapt to the professional values of the tourism profession. Values can influence many of the judgments that
are made and the support given to colleagues and customers. As tourism professionals, our work ethic should
always be driven by supporting the organization’s and customer’s values.
3. Geography
Cultural geography looks at the forms of differentiation as well as the material culture of gatherings that tie
together people’s ideas in the region and make them sound. Apart from the way societies perceive space, this
is how cultures are distributed over certain land areas. (Crang, 1988)
Geography refers to the various forms of natural or man-made physical landscapes affected by human
activities and how people arrange the physical space around them. It includes buildings, roads, fields, cities,
and various land and water forms like mountains, coastal areas, and any physical landscape that underwent
artificial or natural change.
For tourism professionals, the geography of where their colleagues and customers come from may have an
impact on the relationships that they will have in the workplace or in the provision of certain products and
services that customers may require. Certain activities like climbing a tree, trekking up a mountain, swimming,
planting trees, or being familiar with the products of a particular area may be easier to do for some. These are
some examples on how a certain geographic source may affect a tourism professional. There may be
questions about plants and food from a certain geographical location, and the information may be readily
provided by someone who grew up in the same or neighboring area.
4. Language
of people agree on how to as long as a certain group understand certain words of terms, it is possible to have
a common language, and therefore a shared culture. By the same token, linguistic differences can make it
difficult to communicate with people from various societies or places.
(Barken, 2012)

Language is very important as this is how culture is communicated to colleagues and customers. Transmission
of culture from one generation to another or from one member to other members of a group of people in a
society is also done using language—either written, spoken, or a combination of both. Culture is preserved,
changed, or transmitted to colleagues and customers.
Each culture has a unique language that is passed on by each person to the next generation and the following
generation. The language can be defined and can be compared to express one’s view and to forward one’s
opinion. The accent, or the unique speaking style, may give someone an indication of the origins of a person.
For effective communication to happen, the sender and receiver in any communication process must share a
common language.
There are around 180 dialects in the Philippines, more than 1000 dialects in Southeast Asia, and at least 6500
languages spoken in the world. In the Philippines alone, a word used in one province can mean something
different in another province. With the multitude of languages and dialects spoken locally and internationally,
there is a need to identify the most acceptable language in tourism.
In a 2019 article published by Babbel Magazine titled “The 10 Most Spoken Languages In The World,” a
distinction was made between the top 10 most spoken languages by native speakers (mother tongue) and the
top 10 languages by total number of speakers (can use and understand). However, the list varies as many
languages are common, except they change in rank.
The top 10 Mos t Spoken Language…
 by Native Speakers by Total number of Speakers

1. Chinese -1.3B 1. English - 1.132B

2. Spanish - 460M 2. Mandarin Chinese - 1.117B

3. English -379M 3. Hindi - 615M

4. Hindi - 341M 4. Spanish - 534M

5. Arabic - 315M 5. French - 280M

6. Bengali - 228M 6. Standard Arabic - 274M

7. Portuguese - 220M 7. Bengali - 265M

8. Russian - 154M 8. Russian - 258M

9. Japanese - 128M 9. Portuguese - 234M

10. Lahnda - 118M 10. Indonesian - 199M

Source: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languagesin-the-world
In the Philippines, aside from Filipino, English is considered as an official language. In Southeast Asia, the
lingua franca is English. In the United Nations (UN), an intergovernmental organization that has 198 sovereign
states, the official languages an all their conferences and meetings are Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, and
Spanish, and these would always be present in translations.
It is to the advantage of tourism professionals to be able to use English, written and spoken, as it is used by
the greatest number of people. The workplace and customers will be local or international, and there will
always be an occasion to communicate with them. It is a good opportunity for tourism professionals to learn
another languagebesides English, as being proficient in another foreign language can be an advantage in
terms of qualifications and/or can get increase the salary of the tourism professional. The selection of the
foreign language can be based on the tourist arrivals, unique other variables. Understandings and customers
being serviced by the enterprise, and misunderstandings are often traced to miscommunication, and language
plays a major role in this process. Law and Politics

2011)
There are several approachesthat link culture to law. One is the historical school which looks at law as a
product of the culture of a nation and as part of the daily practice of its people. The other is the constitutive
approach which looks at the law as a part of the constitution of a culture; thus, the constitution of people’s
minds, practices, and social relations. It also sees the law that the courts create and apply as a distinct cultural
system wherein its constituents comply with. (Mautner,
Many of the laws in a nation are developed by lawmakers based on the acceptable practices of the members
of the country. The concepts of rightand wrong and fairness and injustice draw from cultural practices in a
particular area that may be gradually accepted as a practice in a bigger area.
As a professional, one must be aware of laws and politics that apply in the country where their work is
undertaken, especially in the delivery of products and services to colleagues and customers. In many
instances, it is better to be apolitical, especially in issues that may be contrary to the individual's beliefs, as it
may create animosity among colleagues and customers. Tourism service can be compromised if there is
political flavor expressed by anyone in the tourism enterprise.
5. Religion
Religion continuously offers a kind of philosophy that establishes a moral compass for anyone who seeks the
truth. It is commonlypracticed by a group of people. Ithas also created cultural expressions in many areas of
life among people. The dual roles of

]
religion are essential in preparing social policies and reforms. (Rahmani and Tayyebinia, 2016) Religion is a
very strong source of cultural influence in many countries like in the Philippines. It has permeated every facet
of daily living, including the way people venerate, eat, dress, sleep, and work.
Based on the CIA Factbook updated last 2019, the Philippines’ religion distribution is enumerated below:
· 1. Roman Catholic, 80.6%
· 2. Protestant, 8.2%
This includes the various Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (2.7%), National Council of Churches in
the Philippines (1.2%), and other Protestants (4.3%)
· · 3. Other Christian groups like Iglesia Ni Cristo and El Shaddai, 3.4%
· 4. Muslim, 5.6%
· 5. Tribal religions, 0.2%, Other, 1.9%, None, 0.1%
The Philippines is one of the 10 member states of the Association of implemented, which had three pillars—the
ASEAN Political Security Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 2015, the ASEAN Community was Community,
the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community, and the ASEAN Economic Community. With the inclusion of the
population from the ASEAN Member States (AMS), the religion distribution profile has changed.
· 1. Muslims are about 42% (mostly Sunni, coming from Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia)
· 2. Buddhists are about 18% (coming from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam)
· 3. Christians are about 17%, mostly from the Philippines
As a tourism professional, with the changing profile of colleagues in the workplace and customers coming from
within the Philippines or from the AMS, awareness of unique religious practices, whether in a specific place or
practiced nationally, should be considered as a “must-know” competency. This will allow the professional to
treat their colleagues and customers correctly, considering that religion plays a major role in the Philippine
setting. One of the biggest attractions in the Philippines are its religiousfestivals, church destinations, and
religious practices that impact the operation of the tourism enterprise.
Social Organization
Resort-based opportunities are enthusiastically received by villagers. However, over time, tourism will replace
traditional livelihoods activities, along with the knowledge and skills that accompany them. The development of
tourism in one part of the system creates a multitude of ecological changes capable of disrupting the broader
and highly embeddedsociocultural system. (Movono, Dahles, and Becken, 2017)
Due to the tourism activities, there are changes in social structures within a tourism destination that impact
various social organizations such as the family, the society, and the bigger community. The changes can
include the type of work being pursued in tourism destinations like switching from farming to working in hotels
and restaurants or not attending school because of high demand for tour guides in a destination. The
authenticity of the cultural elements is jeopardized because of the interaction of the demands of the customers
and the local workers.
There may be a need in the tourism profession to recalibrate social organizations so that the authenticity of the
cultural exchange is not jeopardized in favor of pleasing the customer.
Technology
“Technology can aid in a variety of ways to co-create tourist experiences. It can serve as an enabler, producer,
attractor,

enhancer, and educator. However, it may also become a ‘destroyer’ of tourist experience due to shifts in
service experiences that lack interpersonal charm and thus generate negative effects in retaining the authentic
culture of the area.”

(Oktadiana and Pearce, 2020)

With the advent of the use of technology, many of the work by tourism professionals in various tourism
enterprises have been replaced by some systems that have made the work faster and more current. A
smartphone can do more than justsend text messages and call. It can also be used as
a camera, a calendar, an appointment
book, an Internet access device, and a calculator. The use of a Property Management System (PMS) like
Opera can help in processing reservations, check-ins, and check-outs and consolidating guest folio accounts.
There are changes in people’s behaviors and practices of their socialization skills due to their preoccupation
with their devices. Family members or colleagues talk less with each other during mealtimes or at work as they
are absorbed in the use of their phones or other devices. Their preoccupation can be because of playing
games, reading, or using social media such as Facebook and Instagram. There may be no need to memorize
certain information as the information source is readily available when you searched for it using your smart
phones with Internet connection. These require new skills for the tourism professional.
As tourism professionals, even with technology present in the workplace, the hospitality and service attitude
has to be the priority mindset for colleagues and customers. Building and sustaining relationships with
colleagues and customers should take precedence over anything else in the workplace.

· 1. Individual /Group/ Class activity

· a. Choose any three elements of culture that impact the tourism professional.
· b. Identify a specific application of this element locally and internationally based on your experience.
· c. Share your output with your group mates.
· d. Select among the choices the top three unique applications and discuss in class.
· e. Discuss the learnings you realized as a result of the sharing.
With your three chosen elements of culture that impact the tourism professional, fill in the table below.

Cultural Elements Province Application of the Element

Art

Beliefs and Values

Geography

Language

Law and Politics

Religion

Technology

Social Organization

Cultural Elements Country Application of the Element

Art

Beliefs and Values

Geography

Language

Law and Politics

Religion

Technology

Social
Organization

· 2. Reaction to a scholarly journal article

· a. Choose one of the elements of culture by dividing the class into eight. Each group will focus on a cultural
element, but each member will work on their individual journal articles.
· b. Choose a scholarly journal article published in the last five yearsthat focuses on culture and any of the
elements and its impact on tourism.
· c. Prepare a two-page reaction paper that consists of the following:
· i. Highlights of the article — a summary of what the article is about (1 00 words)
· ii. Reaction — agree or not with the author’s hypothesis and the reasons for your choice (300 words)
· iii. Conclusion — explain how the article impact culture (100 words)
· iv. Citation
Write your reaction paper with the following format: double spaced, font Arial, size 12.
· d. Share the highlights of your work in a_ three-minute presentationand get a reaction from your classmates.

· • Barkan, Steven. “The Elements of Culture” Sociology: Brief Edition v.

· 1.1.
Accessed April 1, 2020.

https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/sociology-briefeditionv1.1/s05-02-the-elements-of-culture.html.
· • CIA World Factbook. 2019. “Philippines Religions.’ Accessed April 1, 2020.
https://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/religions.html.
· • Crang, Mike. 1998. Cultural Geography. Routledge London and New York. Accessed April 1, 2020.
https://books.google.com.ph/bookstid=CpVkyO-H7GVAC&lpg=PP 10&ots=Ct6ynwDkje&dq=geography
%20and%20culture&dlr&pg=PP5#v=onepage&q=geography%20and%20culture&f=false.
· • Lane, James. 2019. “The 10 Most Spoken Languages In The World.” Babbel Magazine, September 6.
Accessed April 1, 2020. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languagesin-the-world.
· • Mautner, Menachem. 2011. “Three Approaches to Law and Culture” Cornell Law Review Vol 96, Issue 4,
May. Accessed April 1, 2020. https://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3206&c
ontext=clr.,Movono, Apisalome, Dahles, Heidi, and Becken, Susanne. 2017. “Fijian culture and the
environment: a focus on the ecologicaland social interconnectedness of tourism development.” Journal of
Sustainable Tourism. Accessed April 1, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1359280.
· • Oktadiana, Hera and Pearce, Philip L. 2020. “Losing touch: Uncomfortable encounters with tourism
technology” Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Accessed April 1, 2020.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1447677020300528?via%3Dihub.
· • Price, Martin. 2018. “The Importance of Art in our Society.’ Art Shanties. Accessed April 1, 2020.
http://artshanties.com/the-importance-of-art-inour-society/.
· • Rahmani, Jabbar and Tayyebinia, Mehri. 2016. “The Relationship between Religion and Culture in Cultural
Policy-Making” International Journal of
Humanities and Cultural Studies ISSN 2356-5962 Special Issue, June. Accessed April 1, 2020.
https://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/article/view/1697.
· · • Sociology Group. 2018. “What is Culture, Basic Elements of Culture and Features.” Accessed April 1,
2020. https://www.sociologygroup.com/elements-of-culture-basic-elements-ofculture/.

Chapter 2
KEY FEATURES OF CULTURE
Even after reviewing the definitions of culture, elements, and multiculturalism, there is also a need to learn the
key features of culture that makes it different from other concepts. In an article published by the Sociology
Group in 2018, culture is different from other concepts because culture . . .
· 1. is learned;
· 2. is social;
· 3. is shared;
· 4. is transmitted;
· 5. is continuous;
· 6. is accumulative;
· 7. is integrate;
· 8. is changing; and
· 9. varies from society to society.
Culture Is Learned
The first teacher of a child is his/herfamily, especially those who interact with the child closely. As years goes
by, a child learns many things from the family, such as how to talk, eat, walk, behave appropriately, and
worship. As the child's circle of acquaintances increases, so does the continuous learnings. In some instances,
while the child / person mayacquire and learn new things, some of the old things they know may be forgotten
or replaced.
Culture has to be taught by someone, usually an older person, that is valued by the younger person. It is
learned through constant practice, reminder, and action. The elements of culture such as beliefs, ways of life,
and languages, can be learned and shared together and create lasting and powerful relationships. A
community with people of varied cultures can learn from the culture of another community or people groups.
The person, thus, will not be the same from how they were a child to how they will be as an adult, nor will they
be the same as the other members of their immediate family throughthe years.
Culture Is Social
other people for culture to be A person needs to interact with transmitted. It cannot be "kept in a cabinet" nor
be kept a secret from the members. The more you interact with appreciation for things, values, and other
people, the wider your concepts will be, and the more it will live on. Through interaction with other people, you
see how other peoplebehave, act, and make decisions. Beliefs and values will guide a personwhether to retain
or change their culture in the future as socialization, beliefs, and other elements change through the years. In
many instances, if the reason for the practice is not explained well, then succeeding generations may not
appreciate this practice anymore.

Culture Is Shared
Culture is not something that an individual can pass to a person but is shared by a common group of peoplein
a given area. Various elements such arts, language, religion, values, and beliefs are all shared by one person
to another, such as members of a family or a community. These beliefs and practices are accepted by
everyone households, a barangay, a district, a equally. A group of people, several city, or a province may
share some of elements of culture. This shared culture is what is transmitted to the other members of the
community throughout the succeeding generations. In instances when a cultural element dies, it can be traced
back to its weak transmission, perhaps its lack of documentation and practice, and so it loses its meaning to
the youngermembers of the community. An example will be dialects that have died because there were no
speakers of the dialect.

Culture Is Transmitted
The transmittal of culture can be done through practice, written form, or verbal form. What is important is that
there is a means or method used wherein the elements of culture are passed on to other persons and other
generations. Usually, the patriarch or matriarch of the family is the holder of the family practices. All these
elders band together to ensure that there is continued practice of the uniqueculture, whether it is a formal or
informal designation. If there is no one to ensure that these elements are practiced, these elements will die. On
the other hand, they may take another path, either adapt a more relaxed version or follow a practice of another
group of people.

Culture Is Continuous
The transmission of the cultural
elements of one group must be continuous from one generation to the next. This will ensure that there is a
common understanding of the practices, history, and origin.Understanding the basis of the practice is critical as
it explains the rationale for the practice. People want to know the reasons behind a practice, especially the
youth, when the oft-repeated question is "Why?" If there is no resolution to this, there will be challenges as
some peoplewill refuse to practice it, leading to forgetting the practice altogether.

In some communities, there are attempts to revive a certain element of culture after its absence in some years.
In its revitalized version, it may not be as authentic as the original and it may take several years for the
restored practice to achieve a level of committed practice by its community members.
Culture Is Accumulative
With so much history in any society, there is bound to be changes in culture as comparedto when it was initially
practiced. The intensityis dependent on many things: the commitment of its followers, the number of followers,
its documentation, the rationale of the practice, and even its interactions with other groups who may have a
different practicealtogether. As a result of culture beingtransmitted to several people, through several years,
there will be changes due to the current situation in the community

Culture Is Integrated
Common practices bring people together. It is a way of sharing with others and making it easier for people to
understand or share a common practice. Theregive preference to others who are many practices that are
uniquely undertaken by a group of people. They can easily be identified as coming from a particular region or
province. It is part of their life, from birth to death and all the events that happen in between. Special events
such as Holy Week differ from region to region and this can be seen in the way that we celebrate it. In other
countries, Holy Week is also celebrated differently.

Culture Is Changing
With the intersection of manyvariables across time and people, culture is bound to change. Developmentsin
technology, government structure, laws, other elements, and even in people will giverise to changes in culture.
For example, there maybe more effective and more efficient ways of doing something very traditional such as
weaving a design from the handloom versus a machine that can do the same in a shorter time. The machine
may even use different threads, resulting in the change of the cloth. Changes must be acceptable to the group
who owns the original, and if members are happy with the change, then there can be change. Sometimes,
however, this can result in quarrels among the members of the group and may result in the division of the
community. In some instances, this can create new beginnings or new communities.

Culture Varies from Society to Society

Of the many sub-groups in a society, each one brings their own CuItura1 mindset to a bigger community.
Expect that there will be similarities and many unique practices within a given community and among the
different countries also.
Given these features of culture, a tourism professional should be aware and liberal in considering the
uniqueness and similarities of their colleaguesand customers in the workplace. A tourism professional should
be veryunderstanding, open-minded, and does not insist on their cultural beliefs or practice on other people.

· 1. Individual/ Group / Class work

· a. Identify a practice in your family that is culturally based.
· b. Ask your parents or grandparents about the origin of the practice, including the province, city, or district.
· c. Describe the practice and use visuals to present the practice. Include the following:
· i. Name
· ii. Province / District
· iii. Description of the element of the culture—the rationale for it, the background of the element, etc.
· iv. Changes that have happened to it since your grandparents' time
· v. Explanation as to why it was changed
· vi. Your reaction as a tourism professional if you have a colleague or customer who either accepts or does
not accept it
· d. Share with your group mates your answers to the following:
· i. How many of your group mates practice it? How many do not?
· ii. How is it unique or similar from the practices of the other members of the class?
· iii. Choose the top three practices
· iv. As a group, identify what learnings you have when interacting with colleagues or customers, and how
tourism professional should handle the situation.
· e. Present to the whole class your answers to 1.d..
· 2. Exhibit
· a. Prepare a one-page collage of the practice in an A4-sized paper.
· b. Write a short description (100 words) of the practice.
· c. Title the practice.
· d. Go around and write your comments underneath the collage of your classmates.

· • Sociology Group. 2018. "What is Culture, Basic Elements of Culture and Features." Accessed April 1, 2020.
https://www.sociologygroup.com/elements-of-culturebasic-elements-ofculture/.
Chapter 3
TOURISM AND THE TOURISM PROFESSIONAL
According to United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism is "a social, cultural, and
economic phenomenonwhich entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual
environment for personal or business/ professional purposes. Thesepeople are called visitors (which may
beeither tourists or excursionists; residents or nonresidents) and tourism has to do with their activities, some of
which involve tourism expenditure."

The UNWTO definition of tourism indicates that though tourism is an industryin itself, there are support
industries that help it make an industry. The "umbrella concept" of tourism where various sectors, either
directly or indirectly participate in tourism activities, are linked, and thus "due to this interdisciplinary and
complex subject, defining tourism is critical, as the meaning of tourism might differ depending on the field of
study". (Ghanem, 2017)
The Tourism Act of 2009 (RA 9593) identifies the tourism enterprises and classifies them as primary or
secondary. The primary enterprises include "travel and tour services; land, sea, and air transport services
exclusively for tourist use; accommodation establishments; convention and exhibition organizers; tourism
estate management services; and such other enterprises as may be identified by the Secretary, after due
consultation with concerned sectors" while the rest are classified as secondary type. Tourism is also supported
by many industries that provide products and services that are needed by the primary and secondary
enterprises of tourism.

Through the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Tourism Professional signed last 2012 by all AMS, a
tourism professional is a person who holds the nationality of an AMS certified by the Tourism Professional
Certification Board (TPCB). In the Philippines, the TPCB is the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA). This government agency was established by Republic Act No. 7796 and signedinto law by
President Fidel V. Ramos on August 25, 1994. This was enacted to encourage the full participation and
mobilization of the tourism industry, labor divisions, local government units, and technicalvocational institutions
in developing the skills of the country'shuman resources. TESDA has promulgated several tourism
qualifications in the NC Il to IV levels, based on the Philippine Qualifications Framework, and some of these
qualifications have been aligned with the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals
(ASEAN MRA-TP). In the TESDA National Certificates released, the words "aligned with the ASEAN MRA on
TP" appears to indicate that the qualification has been reviewed and promulgated with the ASEAN MRA-TP.
The ASEAN MRA-TP initially identified two primary and six secondary labor divisions. There are 30 job titles in
54 qualifications (Levels 2 to 4, Diplomaand Advanced Diploma) that have been identified from the 242
competencystandards in the Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC). There are additional labor
divisions that are currently being defined by the ASEAN. These are in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions,
Exhibitions, and Spa and Wellness. These are presented in the table below.
Primary and Secondary Labor Divisions with Job Titles
Hotel Services Travel Services
 Food Food and
Front Office Housekeeping Travel Agencies Tour Operation
Production Beverages Services

Front Office Executive Executive

F and B Director General Manager Product Manager
Manager Housekeeper Chef

Front Office Laundry Manag F and B Outlet Assistant General Sales and

Demi Chef
Supervisor er Manager Manager Marketing Manager

Floor Commis Senior Travel

Receptionist Head Waiter Credit Manager
Supervisor Chef Consultant

Telephone Laundry Attend Chef de

Bartender Travel Consultant Ticketing Manager
Operator ant Partie

Room Commis
Bell Boy Waiter Tour Manager
Attendant Pastry

Public Area
Baker
Cleaner

Butcher

Various Labor Divisions and Qualifications in the CATC

Certificat Certificat Certificat
e e e Diplom Advanced Subtota
Qualifications
a Diploma l
II III IV

Food and Beverages 2 2 3 1 1 9

Food Production 2 3 3 1 1 10

Front Office 1 1 1 1 1 5

Housekeeping 1 1 1 1 1 5

Tour Operation
2 3 4 2 1 12
(Management)

Travel Agencies 3 3 3 1 1 11

TOTAL 11 13 15 7 6 52

There are many workers in the tourism industry. There are also many training and educational institutions
offering tourism and hospitality_ related programs and a great number of students takingtechnical and
vocational education and training tourism qualifications or higher education institution programs. For the
purposes of the ASEAN MRA-TP,
assessments and certifications are highly encouragedfor individuals to indicate that their learned competency
standards have been assessed by a third-party agency recognized by the ASEAN. All AMS will identify a
TPCB to assess candidates on the various qualifications, wherein in the Philippines' TESDA is the TPCB.
The qualification of a tourism professional may be recognized by other AMS and they will be eligible to work in
any AMS provided that a valid tourism competency certificate in a specific tourism job title as specified in the
ASEAN Common Competency Standards for Tourism Professionals (ACCSTP)issued by the TPCB in an AMS
is presented. The eligibility to work in a country will be subjected to prevailing domestic laws and regulations.
There are many processes in the tourism industry that have been computerized. However, the uniqueness of
the tourism industry is that most of the services that need to be rendered require an actual person. Robots and
systems can replace some of the operations, but a personal touch is still needed in many points of the service.
The hospitality in tourism is delivered by tourism professionals who work in the various sectors of tourism.

· • ASEAN. 2018. Handbook on ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals. 2nd ed. Accessed
April 1, 2020. https://asean.org/wpcontent/ uploads/2012/05/ASEAN-MRA-TP-Handbook2nd-Edition2018.pdf.
· • Ghanem, Joey. 2017. "Conceptualizing "the Tourist": A critical review of UNWTO definition". Accessed April 1,
2020. https://dugidoc.udg.edu/bitstream/ handle/ 10256/14825/GhanemJoey_Treball.pdf.
· • TESDA. Accessed April 1, 2020. https://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/TESDA/10
· • UNWTO. Accessed April 1, 2020. Tourism definition. https://www.unwto.org/ glossary-tourism-terms.

Chapter 4
MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY IN TOURISM
With many improvementsin the tourism industry,transportation, road connectivity, travel within and outside a
country, and people workingoutside of their area of

residence locally, regionally, and internationally, crossing borders is now easier on everyone.
Roads have improved tremendously in the last 10 years, almost allowing people to travel from north to south of
the Philippines fully by land. Ferries and Roll-ons / Roll-offs (RoRo) are available to transport cars and buses to
connecting islands. Cars, buses, trains, and many mass transit vehicles are available at a range of price that is
affordable for various types of customers. The same thing can be said about water and airline travel—a variety
of prices and carriers are available, and because of technology, improvementsin the transport services have
made travel more efficient and effective. Before, it took two days to travel, now it takes less than 24 hours.
There used to be no low-cost carriers available, but now there is a host of travel arrangements that can be
made. What does this mean for the tourism professional? Work applications are not confined anymore to the
place of residence nor within the region but can be outside of the region, island, or country.
What does this mean for the customers? The same thing as the worker. They can travel to different places and
countries. It is not just the physicaldistance that has changed, but because of technology, everything is within
easy access. Social media platforms and websites allow easy access to information and collaborations to learn
about practices, celebrations, and other things like people, places, and things. The circle of friends that a
person may have has exponentially grown as compared to 20 years ago.

The oft-repeated saying "the world is getting smaller" is not anymore, an impossibility but a reality. It is not only
getting smaller; traveling and connecting with people are now becoming easier and quicker. With this
borderless world, it has given rise to the Global Citizen, who may not be confined to a being a "citizen of one
country but one who can be considered a "native" of several countries." A good example of this is when
parents,who come from different countries, have a child who-was born in another country, educated in different
countries, or went to school where there are international students. This
student would have a "global perspective" compared to one who has parentswho come from one place and
just stayed in one place the entire time they were growing up. The Global Citizen would gain an increasing
interconnectedness between individuals, circles of friends, countries/ and economies, allowing for a global
dimension. With technology, it is now easier to get to know a person from another countryand maintain either a
personal or business relationship with them. (Israel, 2012)
In the workplace, there will always be colleagues or customers who are not naturally local to the place, bringing
together people who have different cultural backgrounds who are expected to work as a team and provide the
products and services to meet the standards of the enterprise.The term "multicultural" is also synonymous with
the words "culturally-diverse," "pluralism," "diversity," "cross-culturalism," "ethnic inclusiveness," "ethnic
mosaic," and "multiracialism."
Culture has several elements as discussed in Chapter 1. These elements interact with other elements within a
person. It would be rare to find two persons, even within the same family, even with identical twins, with the
exact same cultural background. There may be similarities, but each one will have a unique cultural content,
and this is what makes people different from each other.
Bringing several persons together will have their own circle of cultural elements interact with each other's. This
is what gives rise to the multicultural diversity concerns.
Multiculturalism
This concept is created when a set of beliefs and behaviors acknowledges and supports the existence of
different communities within an organization or society,and as a result, acknowledges and values its
sociocultural differences, and promotes and facilitates its continued participation within an inclusive cultural
framework that empowers everyone within an organization or society. (Rosado, 2010)

Each person has their own set of beliefs that they bring to anyrelationship, including their workplace. Even if
two people come from the same family, with the same parents and environment, due to the concept of "nature
versus nurture," they would have a different appreciation for certain elements of unique. culture because each
person is
When people bring their own beliefs, language, and other elements of culture to their relationships they may
exercise common understanding and acceptance; but in some instances, there could be challenges. There
would be misunderstandings that may result in work-related output.
Thus, there is a need to understand each person and the "cultural baggage"that they bring to the workplace.
The "cultural baggage" would be the totality of the person that includes all the elements of culture that they
have acquired from their family and all their interactions with other people. The tourism professional can
provide the products and services, in collaboration with colleagues, that are needed by customers and better
handle the situation.
LEARN to Be Multicultural

There are many

goodreferences for multiculturalism in tourism available today. However, it will take a lot of interaction,
experience, and learnings to equip tourism professionalswith the skills that can helpthem become more
multiculturally sensitive.
The following chapters have several selected incidents in the life of Filipinotourism professionals that will help
jumpstart the vicarious experience journey.
The strength of these experiences cited in this book is that all of these are from Filipinos. Though we may each
have unique cultural elements, we share many common elements that will make it easy for us to relate.
To fully appreciate the experiences, look at each reflection and LEARN how to be multicultural.
· • L - look and listen
· • E - empower
· • A -acknowledge, adopt, adapt
· • R - respect
· • N - nurture
Look and Listen
In any given situation, look at the total scenario as there maybe underlying factors that can contribute to the
appreciation of the CuItura1 elements. Listen to the discussion because sometimes, verbal
communication may be a challenge due to accent, tone, or lack of proficiencywith a common language. If a
foreign language is used by someone who is not proficient in that language, such as the English language, the
sender or receiver of the message may resort to the use of nonverbal communication to make themselves be
understood. If the idea of the message is not received, miscommunication can happen, and the delivery of
product or service is endangered within the workplace or for customers. The tourism professional must use all
of their senses to get most of the opportunity to learn more about their colleagues and customers, especially
regarding cultural impact.
Empower

Learning does not happen only insidethe classroom. Lifelong learning in various locations continues even after
graduation.There may be enterprise-based trainingthat will be given to employees, andthese opportunities are
highlyencouraged especially if essential (soft)skills in service training is provided. The focus is no longer on the
technical skills but on the ways how to provide a better service and understand colleagues and customers
better.
Acknowledge, Adopt, Adapt
There is a need to acknowledge that there are standard way of how a Filipino reacts or differences among us.
There is no one behaves, considering that there are manydistinct regional cultural elements that mayaffect the
person. After acknowledging that there are differences among people, a choice can be made by the person to
either adopt or adapt to the cultural element. If after the acknowledgment, conflict with pre-existingvalues or
other elements arises, adoption can be made. If there is still a conflict, then adaption can be made.

The tourism professional must learn these three As to be open about the differences and how to handle them
best.
Respect
There is no one superior or inferior culture. Tourism professionals should respect differences and similarities
among cultural elements as this becomes an exciting way to know more about colleagues and customers.
Nurture
Tourism professionals should nurture themselves with new learnings and grow with the times as part of a
changing mindset. Some cultural elements may no longer be relevant to the times and thus may need to be
updated.Some that are still relevant should be nurtured so that the distinct cultural elements of the region /
family are still present.