C Cultural conflict, tourism Magdalena Banaszkiewicz 1 and Karolina Buczkowska 2 1 Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland 2 Poznan University School of Physical Education, Poznan, Poland A cultural conflict is a dislike, hostility, or strug- gle between communities who have different phi- losophies and ways of living, resulting in contradictory aspirations and behaviors. The notion originates from sociological conflict theo- ries and anthropological concepts of intercultural relations. Intensive development of tourism as part of globalizing trends often leads to rapid changes in local cultures of “exotic” territories. The nega- tive consequences of modernization contribute to the intensification of conflicts caused by alterna- tive perceptions of the world determined by dif- ferent systems of cultural values and beliefs. Including axio-normative conditions, cultural conflicts are often provoked by the socioeco- nomic situation in given communities. For a conflict to occur, there must be a direct interaction between at least two different cul- tures. In tourism this often occurs on the host- guest axis and may arise from tourists’ expecta- tions towards the product. They may be caused by differences between tourists themselves (Reisinger and Turner 2003) or associated with historical and geopolitical intercultural relations (Stein 2008). Furthermore, stereotypes, preju- dice, and culture shock are important factors which may lead to conflict (Hottola 2004). The sources of a conflict are often difficult to deter- mine, as it may be caused not so much by contra- dictory aspirations, as by the mere conviction about the contradiction. As a resolution, a mediator may play an important role as an uninvolved person respected and trusted by parties in conflicts. This would lead to negotiations, avoidance of struggles, and search for compromise through dialogue. The majority of cultural conflicts are resolved in the company of local authorities, community mem- bers, nongovernmental organizations, and ▶ tour operators. Tourism research has led to a deeper reflection on cultural contact and communication. Analyses of different types of cultural conflict have con- tributed to a deepened discussion on forms of preservation of traditional cultures and protection of cultural heritage (Robinson and Boniface 1999). Additionally cultural conflicts make one reflect on the limits of tourism ▶ development and raise ethical questions regarding traveling. Should the cultural relativism existing in host- guest contacts be kept? Can or should traditional cultures be modernized through tourism develop- ment? Cultural conflict prevention involves developing intercultural competences and toler- ance of cultural Otherness, in both tourists (going # Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 J. Jafari, H. Xiao (eds.), Encyclopedia of Tourism, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_249-1