Visitor perceptions of the role of tour guides in natural areas

Abstract

This paper explores the potential of tour guides to contribute to the protection of natural areas by educating their customers through interpretation and modeling environmentally appropriate behaviors. Applying Cohen's (1985) model of the guides' role, modified by Weiler and Davis (1993), as a framework, it examines the potential role that kayak tour guides can play in shaping the experience of visitors to one marine area, the Pacific Rim National Park. It uses two approaches to explore the perceptions of clients about the role of kayak guides using: (1) a pre- and post-trip questionnaire and (2) participant observation. Results indicate that five of the six roles were rated high in importance, but one role, the communication role, was not as important. Comparing performance with importance attached to each role revealed congruence with five roles, but lower levels of performance in relation to importance with the role of “motivator of responsible behavior”. Variability within all of the importance and performance measures suggest that for some individuals, performance did not match importance, highlighting the need to consider market segmentation in future studies. These findings are discussed within the ecotourism paradigm, and their implications for protected area management and for visitor behavior modification are considered.

Keywords:

• importance–performance analysis
• marine ecotourism
• protected areas
• tour guides' roles

Acknowledgements

Carleigh Randall would like to acknowledge and thank the University of Victoria, Department of Geography, Canada, for ongoing support during this research and the University of Otago, Department of Tourism, New Zealand, where she is currently undertaking PhD studies.

Notes

¹Importance response categories ranged from 1 “not at all important” to 5 “extremely important”.

²Performance response categories ranged from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”.