I live in a tourist town on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, so I am fortunate to have a lot of interaction with people from other nationalities. The city of Cairns has over two million tourists a year, both from within Australia and from around the world. International tourists, in particular, have different customs and cultures, and it's very important to take notice and be aware of these differences.
Mistaking a Japanese visitor for a Chinese visitor, or vice versa, is insulting to both nationalities. Talking loudly and waving your arms in the air can be seen as threatening, as any physical contact (apart from shaking hands) or standing too close. With Koreans, deference should always be given to the oldest man in the group. This is their custom and a sign of respect. Certain religious prohibit the eating of meat - in particular, pork - so serving up a leg of baked ham to a group of Muslim visitors is probably not going to go over too well.
There are many ways to find about cultural differences between countries. Of course, the internet is a great source of information; however, there are also business groups and organizations that will be able to give you an insight into any cultural differences that you should be aware of.
We recently had a convention of 4,000 Korean Amway salespeople in town. The group organizing the event published a list of Korean customs in the local paper, and any business involved in the event was given detailed training sessions prior to the group's arrival to ensure that any cultural differences were overcome. All staff were given a small phrase book that they could use if they were asked a particular question by a Korean delegate.
The event was major success and our city is starting to see a growth in Korean tourist arrivals as a direct result of the word-of-mouth publicity gained from 4,000 very happy delegates.
A key point that is repeated throughout this blog is the importance of understanding your customers and identifying their needs and expectations. By taking a little time and effort, you can achieve these results and completely satisfy your customers, even when they are from a different culture.