CULTURAL CONFLICTS OR CULTURAL CUSHION?

•The current study explores antecedents of tourists’ perceived discrimination.•Anticipated discrimination was positively correlated with perceived discrimination.•We reconciled two competing research streams on the roles of cultural distance.•Cultural distance and intercultural competence explain anticipated discrimination.•Power distance and relative group status explain anticipated discrimination.

The current study explores antecedents of perceived discrimination of tourists, which is an under-researched area in tourism. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 248 Chinese and 240 Caucasian tourists in Hong Kong to validate the proposed model. The introduction of intercultural competence reconciled competing research streams regarding the roles of cultural distance in forming the anticipated discrimination of tourists which leads to their perceived discrimination. The current study reveals that the positive or negative effect of cultural distance is contingent on the intercultural competence of tourists. Additionally, power distance and relative group status collectively explain their anticipated discrimination. Practical implications regarding minimization of the perceived discrimination of tourists were offered.