TY  - JOUR
T1  - Analysis of tour guide selection in Mevlana cultural tours using the TOPSIS method
AU  - Foroughi, Saeid
AU  - Karaman, Abdullah
PY  - 2025
DA  - December
Y2  - 2025
JF  - Çatalhöyük International Journal of Tourism Research
PB  - Selcuk University
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 3108-7337
SP  - 62
EP  - 79
IS  - 14
LA  - en
AB  - This study aims to objectively select the most suitable tour guides for Rumi-themed cultural tours in Konya, Turkey, by identifying key service quality determinants. Employing the TOPSIS multicriteria decision-making method, the research analyses six critical criteria communication skills, knowledge, foreign language proficiency, guest satisfaction, cultural sensitivity, and crisis/group management rated by expert opinions. A decision matrix was constructed to normalize, weight, and compare candidates, calculating their proximity to the ideal solution. The results demonstrate that a guide's level of knowledge and cultural sensitivity are the most decisive factors for this specific tourism context. Theoretically, this paper fills a literature gap by presenting a practical human resource management model for cultural and faith-based tourism and emphasizing the guide's vital role as a knowledge transmitter and service quality guarantor. Practically, it provides a systematic, transparent, and repeatable framework that reduces subjective judgements in guide selection. The study concludes that TOPSIS is a viable, data-driven model for evaluating guide performance.
KW  - Tour guide
KW  - cultural tourism
KW  - service quality
KW  - cultural sensitivity
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UR  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/cijts/article/1823572
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/5420014
ER  -