Undergraduate thesis.

This study assesses Tourism Management students{92} cultural awareness and sensitivity in relation to their participation in educational tours contribute to students{92} development in culturally diverse environment, the research focuses on three core dimensions aligned with the Development Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS): awareness of ones{92} cultural biases, openness to learning, and cultural boundary communication. Using a descriptive quantitative design, the study distributed a structured survey to 68 students from the third year and fourth year level who had previously attended educational tours. The instrument was evaluated through validation and pilot testing prior to final conduct. Shapiro- Wilk test indicated non-normal distribution across all variables (p<.001), prompting the use of non-parametric analyses. Kruskal-Wallis test showed no significant differences in cultural awareness, openness to learning, and cultural boundary communication when groped by sex. However, significant differences emerged when grouped communication- suggesting that academic progression may shape students{92} intercultural competencies. Weighted means demonstrated consistently high awareness across all dimensions. Awareness of cultural biases yielded an overall mean of approximately 3.51, indicating that students recognized how their beliefs and assumptions are shaped by culture. Openness to learning registered the highest average (=3.65), reflecting students{92} positive orientation toward understanding other cultural traditions, histories, and etiquettes encountered during tours. Cultural boundary communication also rated highly (=3.58), highlighting students{92} sensitivity to appropriate greetings, gestures, and communication norms when engaging with culturally diverse communities. Qualitative notes from student comments emphasized that educational tours strengthened their appreciation of cultural diversity, enhanced real-world understanding of classroom concepts, and fostered respectful behavior in multicultural settings. Students also pointed out areas for improvement, such as clearer pre-tour orientations on cultural etiquette, more structured reflection activities, and additional guidance on communication expectations during tours. The results suggest that educational tours consistently support the development of cultural awareness and sensitivity among Tourism Management students, while also revealing opportunities to systematize cultural immersion components for deeper learning. The study offers practical recommendations for academic planners and tourism educators, demonstrating the usefulness of integrating cultural competence frameworks with quantitative assessment to enhance educational tour programs.