Intergroup contact between front-line cruise staff and LGBT passengers

Abstract

This article explores front-line cruise employees’ interaction with LGBT passengers. Covert data were gathered with 70 staff, many of whom were from developing countries where attitudes to LGBT people can be less accepting. Encounters are illuminated using Allport's (1954) intergroup contact theory. Interactions between staff and gay passengers were largely positive, helping normalise homosexuality and diminish negative attitudes. Staff interactions were moderated by factors such as prior knowledge of gay people, their previous service experience on gay charters, gender, the influence of working for gratuities and the sense of fun onboard. The gay cruise provides the context that gives rise to moderating conditions, which then facilitate the mediating processes such as reduced intergroup anxiety and increased cultural learning of gay lifestyles. Suggestions for future research between cruise companies and their employees explore how other variables may positively influence staff service-gay customer interactions. Managerial implications are offered for the cruise sector.