Knowledge of the culture of a country is important to understand how people will behave within that country. Culture refers to a set of beliefs, values, attitudes, habits and forms of behavior that are shared by a society and are transmitted from generation to generation.
Culture affects society in different ways. First, values of the culture determine which goals and behavior will gain social approval. People gratify their needs in socially acceptable ways.
Second, culture affects the social backdrop through the established conventions and practices of society. Society adopts various practices relating to which foods can be taken, which entertainment is good and which gifts are appropriate. For example, beef is acceptable in Europe and USA but not in India, horse meat is acceptable in France but not in USA.
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When servicing a market from a different cultural standpoint, it is necessary to know the established practices to avoid undesirable behavior.
The effect of culture is felt by the individual in two ways. First, culture affects the daily life patterns of individuals in society. An afternoon siesta is common in many south European countries to cope with high midday temperatures.
But in USA afternoon siesta is not liked by the society. Concept of time varies from culture to culture. In USA time is money; other cultures attach less importance to time.
Second, culture affects the way emotions are expressed. In Indian culture, kissing is not permissible but in western culture it is quite common.
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Knowledge of how culture affects the individual, the social groups to which that individual belongs and the society as a whole will better enable the marketer to sell a travel product.
The cultures of different countries can vary greatly. To attract people from a particular country, it is important to know cultural differences.