The Role of Cosmopolitanism in Tourism Studies

Abstract

The concept of cosmopolitanism plays an important role in our multicultural world, as it helps to understand and to find solutions to problems that can be caused by a globalized condition of the world. There is a lot of perspectives on interpretation of cosmopolitanism. In this Master thesis, cosmopolitanism is understood primarily as a competence or practice. The aim of the research is to explore how certain cosmopolitan characteristics can potentially be developed through tourism practices. Thus, eight Russian young women with a relevant experience have been interviewed. The results of this research show that tourism can provide us with a potential area for acquiring and developing a cosmopolitan competence. Tourism helps to see other countries and peoples with your own eyes. At the same time, it brings new challenges in understanding foreign cultures, what may lead to either positive or negative results in developing certain cosmopolitan characteristics.