Tour guides and heritage interpretation: guides’ interpretation of the past at the archaeological site of Jarash, Jordan

ABSTRACT

Tour guides play a key role in the archaeological site visitor experience by providing interpretation and information. The archaeological site of Jarash, Jordan, is an important heritage destination for a diverse tourist market. It is located in a cultural landscape setting where many archaeological and historical monuments are well preserved. However, at present, this heritage rich seems far from being completely interpreted and valorized by not only local people but also by visitors. This paper reflects on the information and stories provided by tour guides about sites where heritage tourism experiences take place. Within this context, interpretation by tour guides is analyzed. A mixed-methods approach is used to accomplish this and includes qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, participant observations and desk research. The analysis is helpful in confirming that the way tour guides interpret a site influences site valorization and visitor experiences directly. From a practical perspective, the findings provide important insights for understanding how to develop an interpretative model that utilizes site values and the potential for providing better visitor experiences. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of guided package tours and provide suggestions for tour guides and heritage site managers in Jordan.

KEYWORDS:

• Tour guides
• heritage sites
• interpretation
• archaeology
• visitor experience
• Jarash
• Jordan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Abdelkader Ababneh had taught at the Department of Conservation and Management of Cultural Resources at Yarmouk University. Prior to this, he has spent 12 years working for different travel agencies as a tour guide in Jordan; he is now an associate professor in heritage management and interpretation at the Department of Travel and Tourism at the same university. He is a member of ICOMOS and ICAHM and an author of numerous journal articles on heritage and tourism management in Jordan.