Sustainable Tourism and The Roles of Tour Guides in Destinations: A Qualitative Case Study in Turkey

Year 2021, Issue: 63, 149 - 163, 30.06.2021

Özlem Güzel , Eren Nacak Evrim Bilgi Volkan Kalın

https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2020-0015

Abstract

The sustainable tourism approach is the way to ensure a destination’s development and protec-tion. Since there are important links between the visitor and the destination, tourist guides may contribute to the destination’s resources management and economic and socio-cultural impact. They could set a deep contact with tourists in destinations and have positive results on tourist sustainable behaviors. The aim of the study is to identify the dimensions of the roles attributed to tourist guides in the promotion of sustainable tourism and to determine the content of these roles within an exploratory perspective. In this research, the qualitative research method has been adopted in the phenomenology research design in order to reveal the meanings that tour guides have experienced. The data was obtained through deep-interviews with tourist guides and evalu-ated with descriptive analysis technique. According to the findings, the roles of the tourist guides are dimensioned as “adopting consulting role, taking over inspection, sustainability training, rais-ing tourists’ awareness, promotion of the local economy, and sustainable tour management” within the context of sustainable tourism development. The paper indicates the contributions to the tourism literature with the determination of roles tourist guides serve in the promotion of sus-tainable tourism in detail, as limited studies have been conducted in Turkey.

Keywords

Sustainable Tourism, Sustainable Development, Tour Guides, Professional Roles, Turkey

References

• Alazaizeh, M. M., Jamaliah, M. M., Mgonja, J. T. and Ababneh, A. (2019). Tour guide performance and sustainable visitor behavior at cultural heritage sites. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(11), 1708–1724.
• Barre, S. (2013). Wilderness and cultural tour guides, place identity and sustainable tourism in remote areas. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(6), 825–844.
• Baş, T. and Akturan, U. (2013). Nitel araştırma yöntemleri: NVivo ile nitel veri analizi, örnekleme, analiz, yorum. Se çkin Yayıncılık, Ankara,.
• Black, R., Ham, S. and Weiler, B. (2001). Eco tour guide training in less developed countries: Some preliminary research findings. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(2), 147–156.
• Carmody, J. (2013). “Intensive tour guide training in regional Australia: An analysis of the Savannah guides organization and professional development schools”. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(5), 679–694.
• Cheng, Y., Kuo, N., Chang, K. and Chen, C. (2018). How a tour guide interpretation service creates intention to revisit for tourists from Mainland China: The Mediating effect of perceived value. Journal of China Tourism Research, 1–21.
• Coccossis, H. (1996). Tourism and sustainability: Perspective implications. Briestly, G.K., Esvvardsand, J.A. and Coccossis, H. (Edt), Sustainable tourism? European experiences, CAB International, UK, pp.1–21.
• Cohen, E. (1985). The Tourist guide: The origins, structure and dynamics of a role. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 5–29.
• Creswell, J. W. (2016). Araştırma deseni: Nitel, nicel ve karma yöntem yaklaşımları, Ankara: Eğitim Kitap.Demir, C. and Çevirgen, A. (2006). Turizm ve çevre yönetimi: Sürdürülebilir gelişme yaklaşımı. Nobel Yayın Dağıtım, Ankara.
• Francis, K. Wandaka, J. K. M., Wamathai, A. and Jilo, N. (2019). The role of tour guides in promotion of sustainable tourism practices in Kenya, Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management December 2019, 7(2), 40–47.
• Grabowski, C. P. and Geng, W. (2000). European Silk Road and their tour guides’ perceptions of product and service quality. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 1(4), 97–106.
• Güzel, Ö. ve Köksal, G. (2019). Sürdürülebilir Turizm Yaklaşımıyla Turist Rehberlerinin Sorumlu Davranışları,Kavramdan Uygulamaya: Turist Rehberliği, Köroğlu, Ö. ve Güzel, Ö. (Edt) Nobel Yayıncılık, Ankara, ss.391–409.
• Hu, W. (2007). Tour guides and sustainable development: The case of Hainan, China, (Unpublished PhD Thesis) University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
• Hu, W. and Wall, G. (2012). Interpretative guiding and sustainable development: A framework. Tourism Management Perspectives, 4, 80–85.
• Jacobson, S. and Robles, R. (1992). Ecotourism, sustainable development, and conservation Education: Development of a tour guide training program in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Environmental Management, 16(6), 701–713.
• Kabii, F., Okello, M. M. and Kipruto, N. (2017). Effects of Tour Guides Training on Their Performance in Kenya. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 5(6), 233–250.
• Kayes, R. (2005). Coral reef tourism and conservation in Bocas del Toro: An analysis of eco tourism and its tour guide-based components. Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 433. https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/433, Accessed: 12.12.2018.
• Kümbetoğlu, B. (2005), Sosyolojide ve antropolojide niteliksel yöntem ve araştırma, Bağlam Kitapevi, İstanbul.Kuntay, O. (2004), Sürdürülebilir turizm pazarlaması. Alp Yayıncılık, Ankara.
• Laitamaki, J., Hechavarría, L. T., Tada, M., Liu, S., Setyady, N., Vatcharasoontorn, N. and Zheng, F. (2016). Sustainable tourism development frameworks and best practices: Implications for the Cuban tourism industry. Managing Global Transitions, 14(1), 7–29.
• Leshem, A. (2013). Berlin: Sustainability and tour guides in a partial dark tourism destination. Turizam, 17(4), 177–184.
• Littlefair, C. and Buckley, R. (2008). Interpretation reduces ecological impacts of visitors to world heritage site AMBIO. A Journal of the Human Environment, 37(5), 338–341.
• Mason, P. and Christie, M. (2003). Tour guides as critically reflective practitioners: A proposed training model”. Tourism Recreation Research, 28(1), 23–33.
• Middleton, V. and Hawkins, R. (1988). Sustainable tourism: A marketing perspective. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford.Moscardo, G. (1996). Mindful visitors: Heritage and tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 23(2), 376–397.
• Orams, M. B. (1995). Using interpretation to manage nature based tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 4(2),81:84.
• Pereira, E. M. and Mykletun, R. J. (2012). Guides as contributors to sustainable tourism? A case study from the Amazon. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 12(1), 74–94.
• Poudel, S. and Nyaupane, G. P. (2013). The role of interpretative tour guiding in sustainable destination management: A comparison Between guided and non guided tours. Journal of Travel Research, 52(5), 659–672.
• Randall C. and Rollins, R. B. (2009). Visitor perceptions of tour guides in natural areas. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 17(3), 357–374.
• Reisinger, Y. and Steiner, C. (2006). Re-Conceptualizing interpretation: The role of tour guides in authentic tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 9(6), 481–498.
• Ritzer, G. (2011). Küresel dünya. Melih Pakdemir (çev). Ayrıntı Yayınları, İstanbul.Sandaruwani, J. R. C. and Gnanapala, W. A. C. (2016). Food wastage and its impacts on sustainable business operations: a study on Sri Lankan tourist hotels. Procedia food science, 6, 133–135.
• Taheri, B., Farrington, T., Curran, R. and O’Gorman, K. (2018). Sustainability and The authentic experience: Harnessing brand heritage –A study from Japan. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(1), 49–67.
• Tatar, C., Herman, G. and Gozner, M. (2018). Tourist guides’ contribution to sustainability in Romania. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites. 21(1), 282–287.
• Todorut, A. V. and Cîrnu, D. (2012). The effects of sustainable tourism management for local communities. AnaleleUniversităţii Constantin Brâncuşi din TârguJiu: Seria Economie, 2(2), 155–160.
• UNWTO, E. (2013), Sustainable tourism for development guide book, world tourism organization, European commission, Madrid.
• Walker, K. and Weiler, B. (2017). A new model for guide training and transformative outcomes: A case study in sustainable marine-wild life ecotourism. Journal of Ecotourism, 16(3), 269–290.
• Walker, K. and Moscardo, G. (2014). Encouraging sustainability beyond the tourist experience: Ecotourism, interpretation and values. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 22(8), 1175–1196.
• Weiler, B. and Ham, S. H. (2002). Tour guide training: A model for sustainable capacity building in developing countries. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 10(1), 52–69.
• Weiler, B. and Kim, A. K. (2011). Tour guides as agents of sustainability: Rhetoric, reality and implications for research. Tourism Recreation Research, 36(2), 113–125.
• Yaylı, H. (2012). Çevre etiği bağlamında kalkınma, çevre ve nüfus. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, (15), 151–169.
• Yıldırım, A. and Şimşek, H. (2008). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. SeçkinYayıncılık, Ankara.
• Yüksel, A. and Yüksel, F. (2004). Turizmde bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri. Turhan Kitapevi, Ankara. https://www.venicesustainabletourism.com/venice-sustainable-tourism-guide/, Accessed: 26.03.2020.