Tourism Research (TM 112)

Activity #2
Abdrahman, Hamid Ahmat Issack September 4, 2019
15-4488-867

Harnessing Empathy in Tourism: Are conversations the answer?

By Lourdes L. Zamanillo Tamborrel and Joseph Cheer

Main problem of the research: Does empathy became a force of cross-cultural

understanding?
Objectives: To what extent do tourists actively engage with hosts through
empathy?

It seems like it follows the 3-paragraph rule since it stated the significance
and impact of concept, problem is stated and uncertainty and controversy is
introduced.
By using a case study of a ten-day pro-social cycling tour in Cambodia,
this study examined the conditions that governed and shaped empathy
between hosts and guests. Findings suggest that the key condition that harnesses
empathy in host–guest relationships materializes when there is an opportunity to
engage in bilateral conversations in situations where power differences are
reduced. However, the role of empathy as a ‘necessary’ element for cross-
cultural understanding remains open to contestation and remains ripe for further
research. Using a case study enabled the researchers to delve deeper into each
participant’s experience while taking into account external variables present in
the field (e.g. weather, illness, etc.), thus generating comprehensive data on the
topics assessed and providing valuable insights into human behavior.

Participant observation tried to contest this by comparing statements

made by participants with their behaviour in the field, but it was not able to do
so with participants from previous departures. Furthermore, the researchers
could not control the extent to which interviewees decided to share their
experiences and feelings. Finally, the small sample of participants and
exploratory nature of this study means that it cannot be considered fully
representative of all pro-social tourism projects worldwide. Instead, the purpose
of this study is to establish an exploratory baseline and shape future related
enquiries.

Findings suggest that numerous obstacles make the development of

empathy between hosts and guests difficult to achieve via pro-social tourism.
First, language barriers make intercultural communication a complex and difficult
task, forcing travellers to rely heavily on their own interpretations of what they see.

Second, there was an evident unequal power relationship between hosts and
guests, where guests held the economic power; this further enabled some
travellers to see hosts only as service-providers, making meaningful connection
less likely.
This study has contributed towards the existing literature around
empathy, hospitality and tourism by: exploring whether pro-social tourism has
an enhanced potential to harness empathy compared to other types of
tourism; and identifying key elements that could potentially harness or block
travellers’ empathy.