“I don’t hate anyone... except for Asians” Residents’ stereotypes of foreign nationalities in the city of Dubrovnik

Stereotypes are defined as oversimplified beliefs about things and people, widely held by a large number of people. They can be fair and reflect the real world but some of them are cruel and come from racist or discriminatory history. This research studies what effect does tourism have on stereotypes and how does it affect local’s perception of tourists. A survey was administered to 122 people, asking them for opinions on tourists that visit Dubrovnik the most, and it was compared to a previous research done three years ago. The results suggested that locals form stereotypes based on tourist’s behavior and how much do the foreigner’s culture differ in relation to locals’ own culture. As a city thriving on tourism, Dubrovnik locals encounter people from all over the world, people with different appearance, behavior and culture, and their relationship with the locals is vital to the future of Dubrovnik in tourism, so it is important that these stereotypes do not form into racism and discrimination