Tour Guides Research Articles

From harasser tourists to above the law managers: female tour guides strategies for coping with sexual harassment

PurposeThis study examines how far female tour guides in Egypt experience sexual harassment and how they cope with it.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research method is employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 full-time female tour guides working for several travel agencies in Egypt. Thematic analysis was used to extract the main ideas from the transcripts.FindingsThe findings show that female tour guides in Egypt would encounter annoying gender harassment mostly from tourists they serve, and they might suffer from irresponsible behavior – gender harassment, unwanted sexual harassment, and sexual coercion – from their local managers. When facing sexual harassment, female tour guides usually tend to adopt one of the following three coping strategies: (a) indifference to sexual harassment they encounter, (b) heroism by taking legal action when exposed to sexual harassment or (c) fatalism by taking inconsequential action such as complaining the harasser to his direct manager or filling in an official complaint inside their workplace. The selection of the coping strategy is usually based on the female victim's personality and the organizational and social context she adapts to.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in tourism, human resources management and gender studies in which empirical studies on the sexual harassment that female tour guides encounter, particularly in non-Western contexts, have been limited so far.

Narrative Crafting in Tourism Destinations: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Storytelling Techniques for Tour Guides

This study provides insights into the numerous storytelling techniques tour guides offer to provide visitors with memorable experiences. The study employs an autoethnographic methodology centered on the researchers' extensive background as tourist sector practitioners. The researcher identifies three fundamental tourism storytelling techniques: places, people, and objects. The use of sensory experiences that create a realistic view of a location, strong emotional connections with well-known personalities, the sharing of cultural insights, contrasting and comparing cultures at various locations, highlighting hidden gems, and the use of symbolism or themes to describe a location are all examples of techniques for telling stories about places. Using person-centered storytelling, tour guides can create engrossing narratives by focusing on the character's traits, abilities, and weaknesses, as well as personal tales and journeys. These techniques result in a more authentic and gripping narrative experience. The final approach involves discussing products or physical objects. Guides can narrate the origin and evolution of a product, its cultural significance, future use and potential advancements. This approach provides visitors with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the products unique to the destination. This study contributes to a better understanding of how tour guides can leverage storytelling techniques to enhance visitor experiences and offers practical insights for professional tour guides to improve their narrative delivery.

Technology Acceptance and Readiness among different Generations of Urban Touists

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Several motivators and inhibitors for technology acceptance and readiness have been identified, however, propensity to use digital tools can vary according to different factors, one of them being the users’ age. This study seeks to explore the technology acceptance and readiness of different generations of tourists in an urban destination. METHODOLOGY This qualitative study comprised 94 face-to-face interviews conducted during autumn 2019 and the spring of 2020 (before COVID-19) to foreign visitors from different age groups close to the main attractions in Budapest, Hungary. Interviews gathered visitors’ thoughts, experiences, and perceptions about tourism and technology. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and content analysed applying a deductive approach. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Baby Boomers are more inhibited than motivated in terms of technology readiness due to the lack of technical knowledge and challenges of use. Generation X are more optimistic about the usage of technologies driven by convenience and social influence. Younger generations use a wider range of digital tools while travelling due to greater levels of optimism and innovativeness. However, some participants from Generation Y1 and X consciously limit the use of technologies as they consider them disruptive. Findings also show that motivators tend to be more closely related to utilitarian rather than hedonic factors for all generations. Smartphones and Google Maps are the most used digital tools. This novel study focuses on different models and approaches for technology acceptance and readiness from a generational perspective exploring the so-called ‘digital gap’. Furthermore, this study explores the correlation between different determinants of the proposed models. The context of an urban destination is also relatively novel, as many previous studies have focused rather on individual sites. RECOMMENDATIONS Urban destinations should facilitate conditions to encourage acceptance and readiness of technology among urban tourists. This not only includes digital infrastructure (e.g. WI-FI), but digital solutions and apps (e.g. tour guides in different languages) designed to attract different target markets (i.e. generations).

Tour leaders and guides’ multiple mentoring functions: scale development and validation

ObjetivoBasándose en la bibliografía sobre la mentoría, este estudio exploró las funciones de mentoría desarrolladas por el sector de los viajes y elaboró una escala de funciones de mentoría múltiple (MMFS) para guías y jefes de grupo turísticos.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEn el Estudio Uno de esta investigación se realizaron entrevistas en profundidad a 23 guías turísticos para establecer el banco de preguntas inicial y la escala de prueba piloto. Estudio Dos, la escala inicial fue sometida a una prueba piloto por 225 guías de tours para identificar la estructura factorial mediante un análisis factorial exploratorio. Estudio Tres, el modelo se verificó mediante análisis factoriales confirmatorios 251 muestras de calibración. En el Estudio Cuatro, la validación cruzada se verificó mediante 227 muestras de validación.ResultadosEstudio Uno: a través de los análisis de contenido, se estableció un banco de preguntas inicial de 51 preguntas. El banco de preguntas fue revisado por 15 expertos, lo que dio lugar a la elaboración de una escala de prueba piloto de 36 preguntas. Estudio Dos, se retuvieron 16 preguntas, tras la prueba piloto de la escala inicial, y se identificaron cuatro dimensiones, que incluían la competencia profesional, la mentoría inversa, el desarrollo profesional y las funciones psicosociales. Estudio Tres, el modelo se verificó mediante análisis factoriales confirmatorios y se confirmó que tenía una buena fiabilidad y validez de constructo. Por último, se estableció una escala de primer orden y cuatro factores que constaba de 16 preguntas. En el Estudio Cuatro, se verificó la validación cruzada.Originalidad/valor (límite 100 palabras)Los estudios anteriores se han centrado principalmente en las funciones típicas de la mentoría. Rara vez se han tratado las funciones múltiples de mentoría derivadas de las características de los guías y jefes de grupo turísticos. Esta investigación puede llenar el vacío existente en la aplicación del sistema de mentoría a la investigación de la gestión de recursos humanos en la industria turística. Como resultado, esta escala de funciones de mentoría múltiple de cuatro dimensiones proporciona una perspectiva progresista y puede considerarse como la primera versión del desarrollo de la escala en la industria turística.Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación (límite 100 palabras)El establecimiento de la MMFS se sometió a un riguroso proceso de desarrollo, y la fiabilidad y validez de la escala están respaldadas. Se sugiere que en futuras investigaciones se desarrolle y construya un modelo multifuncional para guías profesionales de turismo basado en la MMFS para evaluar el impacto a largo plazo de la MMFS.

Employability Capital for Tour Guides at a World Heritage Site

Aim. Employability has gained increased interest after the respective global shocks of 2008 and 2020. The study deepens the theory of employability in relation to a globally significant tourism industry. The aim of the study is to identify the core dimensions of the employability of tour-guides. Method. The study adopted a qualitatively intrinsic case study at a world heritage site (WHS), namely the Maropeng Visitor Centre. The researcher focused on the notion of employability for tour-guides, based on existing research gaps regarding those two central concepts. Results. The study determines the roles and responsibilities of tour-guides so as to align these to the notion of employability capital of tour-guides. Secondly, the study probed how higher education institutions (HEIs) should contribute to tour-guides’ employability particularly, and their employability capital, generally. Moreover, misconceptions emerged about HEIs’ offerings concerning employability and tour-guides’ education. Conclusions. Employability capital has become a factor influencing success in the work environment. This study revealed the importance of practical courses in tourism education (tour guiding, first aid, and additional languages) and highlighted the imperative to understand students’ skills and capabilities within the scope of practical training courses. Originality. The study advances knowledge on employability capital in relation to tour guiding at WHS. This would help to develop a better system that would increase employability capital in the tour-guiding sector.

PENGABDIAN MASYARAKAT UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KUALITAS SUMBER DAYA MANUSIA MELALUI PELATIHAN PARIWISATA BAGI MASYARAKAT DESA TARO KABUPATEN GIANYAR BALI

This training activity is a service program from the Faculty of Business and Tourism, Triatma Mulya University. In this activity, students are given the opportunity to enter the community and apply the knowledge they learn during lectures. Students will learn to overcome problems that occur in Taro Village and find solutions related to this. In addition, for lecturers, this activity is one form of implementation of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education carried out by community service. The purpose of dedication is to improve the competence of homestay owners regarding room division, and improve the knowledge and skills of tour guides in Taro Village. Service activities are carried out using the method of introduction, main activities and output activities. The findings in this service program are that Taro Village has human resources that are ready to serve tourists. Local community training activities are useful to increase knowledge and skills related to room division and tour guidance. In addition, the standard operating procedures prepared can guide the community in carrying out these competencies. Training the community in carrying out service activities to tourists is expected to be able to provide more experience so that it is better prepared to welcome the arrival of tourists who travel.

WISATA KAMPOENG PENDEKAR MENEMBUS LORONG WAKTU DENGAN TEORI LINIERITAS LIMA DIMENSI

Various tourist destinations offer unforgettable experiences for their visitors. Kampoeng Pendekar Tourism offers a five-dimensional experience that invites visitors to the ancient kingdom era. This research aims to find out how the management strategy of Kampoeng Pendekar Tourism in attracting visitors by applying the theory of linear five dimensions. Data collection was carried out through observation, interviews, surveys, and documentation. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive analysis by performing reduction and interpretation. The results of the study explain the highly innovative breakthrough by the management of Kampoeng Pendekar Tourism, which is able to linearize tourism, entertainment, and shows that elevate traditional content that appears old-fashioned into a five-dimensional sensation according to the theory introduced by Gillian Crampton Smith and Kevin Silver by creating a display of the past era, such as traditional houses and huts; officers, tour guides, and traders are required to wear Javanese traditional clothing; even the tour guides wear clothing resembling ancient warrior attire. All the food sold is traditional cuisine that is nearly extinct. The use of kepeng currency is the strongest sensation that brings visitors back to the past era. In addition, there are traditional games, art performances, and cultural attractions.

Travel to Mars-like Places on Earth: A New Branch of Sustainable Ecotourism in Lut Desert World Heritage Site, Iran

Traveling to space and walking on other planets has always been a great dream for many tourists. Given that space tourism is not available to everyone, adventurers have always been looking for special and strange places that evoke the feeling of traveling to other planets, especially Mars. One of these places which is very similar to Mars is the Lut Desert World Heritage Site. The present study aims to introduce the Martian sites of the Lut Desert and offers a special type of trip to this beautiful desert that can further preserve it with a sustainable development approach. The statistical sample of the research is based on the qualitative analysis method, consisting of 18 participants, which consists of experts, desert tour guides, and tourists who have visited the studied sites. After the data collection process, the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Maxqda 2020 software. The results of the research indicate that the four sites identified in the research, according to the participants, are similar to the images and videos published of Mars. Moreover, this new branch of desert ecotourism can develop sustainable ecotourism in the Lut Desert.

Examining The Relationship Between The Roles Of Tour Guides, Their Service Quality, And Tourists' Behaviour In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Examining The Relationship Between The Roles Of Tour Guides, Their Service Quality, And Tourists' Behaviour In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Monitoring Evaluation Analysis of Tourist Village Development

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has set a target to increase the number of tourist villages classified as advanced to self-sufficient. In order to accomplish this, the Ministry organized training sessions to help and support the locals in enhancing their capability to manage their village as a tourist destination. One of the tourist villages where the training was provided was Desa Kemiren in Banyuwangi. The village received assistance in the aspect of tour guiding as the current status of Desa Kemiren is a developed tourist village. To make sure that the training meets the demands of the local community, monitoring and assessment analysis is required. Taking into account the significance of tour guides in delivering tourism services, this study investigates the implementation of tour guide training in Desa Kemiren. The research aims to analyse the monitoring evaluation of tour guide training based on stakeholders' perspectives. The study uses a qualitative method, and the data collection was collected through semi-structured interviews with six respondents, comprised of representatives of the government, community, and Kemiren villagers. The result demonstrates that this training is an attempt by the government to make the village self-sufficient in terms of problem identification. According to the viewpoint of the community, they took part because they need help developing the village to become an advanced tourism town and become independent. It can be seen that the purpose of the three main stakeholders involved in this program is aligning with one another

A mixed methods research study on occupational safety and health of tour guides

ABSTRACT Tour guiding is a profession that involves intensive one-to-one communication with tourists and employees from different sectors of the tourism industry along with long trips by bus, walks in different geographical and weather conditions, and overnight stays away from home. Under these conditions, tour guides (TGs) face serious risks in terms of work-related accidents (WRA) and work-related ill-health (WRIH) which may result from unsafe behaviours (UB) or unsafe conditions (UC). This study evaluates occupational safety and health (OSH) problems experienced by TGs and merges the findings of both the survey and focus group (FG) as part of Mixed Methods Research (MMR) to gain a better understanding. The explanatory sequential design was conducted with first quantitative and then qualitative research. According to the MMR results WRA-Type and Prevention were confirmed, WRIH-Reason was expanded in FG interviews. However, for the survey and FG findings, WRA-Reason and WRIH-Type are contradictory.

The impact of virtual experience on visiting tourism destination intention

The Covid-19 pandemic had changed the people’s behavior and activities in many aspects of living. The government policy of physical distancing in the entire Indonesia impacted activities of people in many sectors, including tourism. In response to this, some Travel Agencies, Destination Management, and Tour Guides had an initiative to launch Virtual Tours as an alternative to organize a tour without mobility. For most of people, Virtual Tours are a new experience. They can visit many kinds of tourism destinations while stay at home. When this phase of pandemic end, this could be a “new normal” people, where Virtual Tours become a first reference for tourists, before they decide to visit a tourism destination. This research aimed to measure how much the concept of Virtual Tour influences the intention of visiting a tourism destination, and how was the potency to recommend it to their friends. The authors used the tourist experience approach as a perspective to gain informations about the tourists experience in enjoying Virtual Tours and how is their interests of visiting. How the experience of Virtual Tours influenced the intention of visiting to the destination they enjoyed in virtual tour, and moreover recommend the destination to their friends, to get the same experience. Through the explanation method to explain the relation between the two variables in this research, the authors used the data gained from a questionnaire from 44 respondents with purposive sampling technique. Analysis of the data used in this study is a simple linear regression analysis and described descriptively. The result of the coefficient of determination from the role of virtual tours experience on interest in visiting tourist destinations is 0.420. This value shows that 42% of interest in visiting tourist destinations is influenced by the experience of virtual tours, while the remaining 58% is determined by other factors outside of this study.

Why do freelance tour guides still stay after the attack of COVID-19：A path-dependent perspective

The tourism industry has been devastated by COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019), with tour guides taking the brunt. Through in-depth interviews with 24 freelance tour guides in China and thematic analysis, this study addressed why they continue to work in this field and provided some insights for the freelance tour guides to stay in the tourism industry. The findings revealed that some individuals stay active because of their optimistic and open personality, professional recognition, etc. In contrast, others are passively locked into their current career path due to their cautious personality, fear of losing human capital, inertia, low self-efficacy, and limited job opportunities. These findings promote the application of path dependence theory in the career decision-making of freelancers by enhancing our understanding of the diverse reasons underlying individuals' retention behaviors in an unorganized setting in the context of COVID-19.

Emerging Technology Trends in Tour Guiding: Virtual and Distance Tour Guiding

Emerging Technology Trends in Tour Guiding: Virtual and Distance Tour Guiding

Strategi Komunikasi Pemasaran Pariwisata Taman Raja Batu Dalam Meningkatkan Arus Pariwisata Di Kabupaten Mandailing Natal

The aim of the research is: to find out how the marketing communication strategy of Taman Raja Batu is in increasing the flow of tourism in Mandailing Natal Regency. To find out what factors hinder the tourism marketing communications of Taman Raja Batu in increasing the flow of tourism in Mandailing Natal Regency. The marketing communication strategy for Taman Raja Batu Tourism carried out by the Mandailing Natal Regency Tourism Office through various forms of promotion both internally and externally, in the form of promotion through social media which primarily targets young people and adolescents, bearing in mind that in the millennial era as when These young people and teenagers are inseparable from social media Facebook and Instagram. The inhibiting factors in tourism marketing communication at Raja Batu Park in increasing the flow of tourism in Mandailing Natal Regency are very minimal tour guides, so they are unable to create good communication in every introduction to tourist objects. The Tourism Office in increasing the flow of the tourism sector in Mandailing Natal Regency as the manager, lack of awareness, mindset and participation of the community's role in every activity in Taman Raja Batu Tourism.

Erin Daly, Review of Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu, ed. Human Dignity in Asia: Dialogue Between Law and Culture

There is simply too much to say about human dignity in law and culture to be contained within the covers of one book, even when the scope is restricted to the region of Asia. Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu’s book, Human Dignity in Asia: Dialogue Between Law and Culture, attempts to say much of it and to ignite conversations about the remainder. It lays out the meaning of dignity in law in two ways. First, it does so in country-by-country studies that investigate not only the meaning of dignity in each country, but also the constitutional, historic, and political evolutions that have shaped that meaning, and the role of apex courts in developing a culturally specific understanding of dignity in law. The book examines eight locales: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China. Each country chapter is geographically focused: not on linkages, but on the distinctive development of dignity lawplace. While the attempts to make cross-border connections are few, we learn much about each nation’s political history, as if guided by expert tour guides. Second, the book considers dignity against the backdrop of broad cultural movements, including, most notably, the principal religious waves that flow across Asia. Asia is such a huge and diverse region of the world, that it demands attention to many of the world’s major religions, from Islam to Christianity to Buddhism, and more, as each contributor seeks both to describe the religious themes that readers may not be familiar with and to discern how human dignity is conceptualized within that religious framework.

Providing a model for the development of sports tours in the tourism industry.

Sports tours are a key category of tourism with special interest whose evolution and development are influenced by a variety of limiters and facilitators. Research literature recommends exploring these factors. Therefore, our goal was to present a grounded theory about the development of sports tours in Iran's tourism industry. For this purpose, we considered Glaser's approach and conducted 15 interviews with experts in the field of tourism and sports tours who worked under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Iran. The data were analyzed using the Glaser's approach principles. The developed theory from this study showed that the development of sports tours is an structure that stops moving under the influence of inhibitors such as financial, political, security, structural, and organizational issues, and travels the path of perfection and progress through facilitators such as natural attractions, the role of the media, the role of tour guides, the quality of services, information technology, support, culture, and training, and the human force. Based on this result, it can be said that the development and evolution of sports tours in Iran are influenced by various determinants, and it is important to remove the limiting factors and strengthen the factors that play a facilitating role in the development of sports tours.

Optimalisasi Desa Wisata dalam Meningkatkan Ekonomi Masyarakat di Desa Maguwan Sambit

Beji Gondang is a beautiful, comfortable, clean and beautiful tourist spot, this area is also equipped with several photo spots. Beji Gondang is also an economic center for the community. The potential for tourism development as employment has had a high enough impact on the surrounding community to sell food and beverages. Along with the development of tourism, it has brought its own consequences, especially in tourist destinations and local communities. This research uses a discriminatory qualitative method, which describes the data found in the field to become new finding data. The results of this study show that the presence of tourism is able to accelerate economic growth and provide employment, one of which is tour guides, parking attendants, photographer services, increase income, improve living standards, and stimulate other productive sectors that the growth of business and work opportunities due to tourism causes demand for labor to increase. The more tourists who visit, the more types of businesses that grow in tourist areas so that more jobs are created. This shows that tourism has great potential in providing jobs for workers who need new jobs.

Not the Same as Real Experience! – a qualitative inquiry into how participants make sense of their online tours

ABSTRACT This study explores how participants in non-immersive online tours make sense of their experience and whether and how they develop the perception of authenticity. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 online tour participants. The findings revealed that four major elements influenced respondents’ online tour experiences, and another four elements emerged as a consequence of these experiences. They also demonstrated the significant role played by tour guides who can offer interaction opportunities and cocreate participants online tour experiences. The quality of online tour experiences can be enhanced by bringing ‘authentic’ experienced tour guides and technology in line with participants’ preconceptions. Perceptions of authenticity may emerge if the tour guide’s personality and skill, the quality of the online tour system, the interactions available for participants, and the consistency with expectations and preconceptions are all maintained at a high level. Further examinations of multiple aspects of authenticity, competency and training of tour guides, and preconceptions of users in evolving virtual tours are important avenues for future research.

Indoor Navigation and Tourist Guide Using Augumented Reality

The suggested project is based on augmented reality concepts for indoor route innovation. When travelling to a remote location, you can use a g-map to navigate outside, but when it comes to the interior, you are left in the dark and helpless. Here is our service that allows you to travel within a faraway city to an open area where you can receive our aid with the improvement of augmented reality. Our app uses augmented reality (AR) images to point users in the right direction inside. For instance, if you received confirmation from a college while travelling there, you don't need to wait for the inside navigation to be completed. It was secured by us. Our suggested strategy will enable you to move freely within the college grounds.