SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF DISCRIMINATION AND ITS REFLECTIONS ON TOURISM

Discrimination can arise from various factors such as age, gender, race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, physical appearance, and social class. As in other parts of society, discrimination is common in modern workplaces even in developed countries as long as in developing countries. And workplace discrimination is a persistent problem all over the world although precautions and legislation are designed to prevent discrimination practices. One of the workplaces where discrimination has been adversely observed is tourism industry. In tourism industry, it is strongly possible to see employees from different cultures, societies, and countries. The growing industry-tourism worsens the skilled labor because of number of job openings in the industry. In this context, this chapter first covers social-psychological background of discrimination and theories concerning the subject. Second, it examines the level of discrimination such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, skin color, nationality, mental or physical disability, and other discriminations such as nepotism. Third, it evaluates the consequences of discrimination by focusing on tourism perspective.