Unpacking the complexity of cultural distance in inbound and outbound tourism: A case-oriented approach

Abstract

Due to limitations in mainstream symmetric methodologies, the linkages between cultural dimensions and tourism demand have yet to be fully understood. Drawing on Hofstede's theory of national culture and adopting the asymmetric and case-oriented fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method, this investigation explored configuration models of cultural distance between 65 countries in relation to China's inbound and outbound tourism flows. Using a series of three studies, this research assessed the impact of grouping Hofstede's six cultural distance dimensions and the effect of cultural distance as a whole on Chinese inbound and outbound tourism flows within the cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic distance framework. Findings indicate that several paths respectively lead to high inbound and outbound tourism flows. Uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation are core conditions for high inbound and outbound tourism flows, respectively. Three testable propositions were additionally evaluated by comparing cultural distance configurations between high inbound and outbound tourism flows.