The hospitality industry, more so than most other industries, is by its nature "global". Certainly, there are domestic tourists everywhere, especially in a country like the US, which is geographically large and offers both natural as well as man-made attractions everywhere.

But most of our tourist attractions bring millions of visitors every year, many of them from other nations which makes it very important that organizations train their employees well and give them the tools they need in order to succeed in making all tourists feel welcome, as well as give them an unforgettable experience.

First, let's define "diversity":

• Diversity includes all the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals.
• Diversity is much broader than race and ethnicity.
• Some aspects of diversity, such as race and age, are inherent.
• Others, such as work history, language, religion, cultural immersion, and education, are acquired through life experience.
• Intercultural communication is the process of sending and receiving messages between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and nonverbal signs differently.

Next, how do you become versed in cultural communication? Hint: you don't have to learn to speak different languages (although it helps).

Cultural competency includes:

• An appreciation for cultural differences that affect communication
• The ability to adjust one's communication style to ensure that efforts to send and receive messages across cultural boundaries are successful

You are already an expert in your own native culture, which:

• Is positive, because you understand how your culture works and how people are expected to communicate
• Is potentially negative, because your communication habits are based on your own culture, so you rarely think about how cultural influences you

An important step toward successful intercultural communication is becoming more aware of the rules imposed by your own culture and how those roles influence your communication.

Give one example of a situation - either at the work place or as a tourist - where you experienced a challenging "intercultural communication" and how did you resolve it? Give feedback/thoughts/ideas/opinions on the topic of diversity.

Note: this challenging experience can be something you encountered as a tourist here in the US or anywhere else in the world.