The Gestures of Bali Hotel Staff as a Manifestation of Green Tourism

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-882-0_51How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Balinese Service Gestures; Cultural Hospitality; Non-verbal Communication; Tourism Interaction

Abstract

This study aims to analyze in depth the various gestures employed by hotel staff in Bali and how these gestures significantly contribute to the practice of hospitality within the tourism industry. Utilizing a descriptive qualitative approach grounded in field observation, ethnographic analysis, and literature review, the research identifies some dominant gesture types commonly observed in interactions between hotel staff and tourists. These include the Balinese sembah, light bowing, open hand, participation in ritual practices, and wearing traditional attire. Each gesture serves not only as a non-verbal communication tool but also as a symbolic representation of rich local cultural values. Gestures such as sembah and bowing convey respect and humility, while open hand movements and upright body posture reflect professionalism and attentiveness to guests from diverse cultural backgrounds. The ability of hotel staff to adapt their gestures contextually demonstrates a high degree of intercultural competence, which is essential in enhancing the comfort and satisfaction of international tourists. The findings highlight that these gestures are integral to creating a warm, welcoming, and meaningful guest experience. Hospitality in Bali is not merely procedural or technical. It is deeply rooted in cultural expression that renders service more humanistic and authentic. In the context of Green Tourism, these gestures serve as more than cultural symbols. They function as performative acts of ecological, cultural, and spiritual sustainability. Rather than relying on material excess or artificial spectacle, Balinese hospitality emphasizes human presence, cultural authenticity, and embodied mindfulness.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Kanah Kanah
AU  - Harisal Harisal
AU  - Kadek Dwi Pradnyani Novianti
AU  - Ida Bagus Separsa Kusuma
AU  - Wahyuning Dyah
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/11/14
TI  - The Gestures of Bali Hotel Staff as a Manifestation of Green Tourism
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Green Tourism Applied Science - Social Applied Science 2025 (ICOSTAS-SAS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 450
EP  - 458
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-882-0_51
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-882-0_51
ID  - Kanah2025
ER  -