| Abstract [eng] |
The focus of master thesis is intercultural communication, with the case of japanese tourists visiting the Baltic States. The aim of the thesis is to find out what challenges for intercultural communication arise for Japanese tourists traveling in the Baltic States and how they are solved in specific situations. Tasks of the thesis: to introduce the concepts of intercultural communication in social sciences and to discuss the concepts and attitudes of tourism from anthropologists and sociologists perpective; To find out the problems that arise for tourists from Japan during interaction with locals; Identify the importance and contribution of guides as cultural mediators during the trip and strategies they choose to address intercultural communication problems; Analyze the situations of intercultural, (non) understandable communication that have been identified through intercultural communication and theories of tourism anthropology related to participant observation and interview. Using the theoretical model of intercultural communication and field of tourism anthropology it describes and analyzes the material collected during the participant observation. There was also organized a semi-structured interview with five Lithuanian guides who make excursions for Japanese groups. Most often, intercultural challenges are related to different concepts of time, seeking for equality and rough behavior. The research has shown that the challenges facing a tourist group are dealt with by the guide-mediator, and the whole responsibility lies with him, or an equitable third party who is an official mediator. Work can be important and useful for future guides of Japanese tours, as well as to enrich the knowledge of Japanese programm students and be one of the sources of information on a similar topic. |
