Do National Cultural Dimensions Influence Tourism Competitiveness in V4 Countries? A Hofstede-Based Approach

In today's globalised world, cultural differences play a crucial role in shaping tourism dynamics.However, academic literature has not sufficiently explored its specific impact on tourism sector competitiveness.This study takes an innovative approach to analyse the connection between national culture, represented by Hofstede's cultural dimensions, and tourism competitiveness, as assessed by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), across a sample of 79 countries.The study focuses particularly on the Visegrad Group (V4) countries.Through multiple linear regression analysis, we identify the cultural factors that significantly influence tourism performance and examine whether these relationships differ within the V4 countries compared to other countries.Our results confirm the statistically significant positive effects of individualism, motivation toward achievement and success, and long-term orientation on tourism competitiveness.Other dimensions show no significant impact.Interaction effects between cultural dimensions and V4 membership are insignificant, suggesting consistent cultural influences across regional groups.This research improves our understanding of how culture interacts with economic performance in tourism, offering new perspectives for strategic sectoral planning.To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first comprehensive, empirical investigation of this topic focusing specifically on the Visegrad Group (V4) countries within the European context, thus filling an important gap in the scientific literature on culture and tourism.