Tour operators have been urged to integrate Environment Sustainability into training and professional development of tour guides in an effort to make them effective contributors to environmental sustainability.
This follows limited evidence which suggests guides can foster visitors’ post-visit pro-environmental and pro-conservative attitudes and behaviours. Equally, there is limited evidence that tour guides can influence social and cultural sustainability of destinations.
A leading conservation scholar from Charles Sturt University in Australia, Dr Rosemary Black said at a public lecturer at the University of Botswana that sustainability benefits destinations and all stakeholders, including visitors.
“Be more proactive in marketing and conveying the importance of guides,” Dr Black advised stakeholders. “Integrate sustainability into training, professional development”.
According to Dr Black, tour operators also need to support tour guiding, for example, they need to put in place better levels of pay to guides and other rewards. She says guides’ income and job security can enhance sustainability of tourism destination.
“Commit to collecting and disseminating evidence of the sustainability outcomes of best practice guiding,” she advised when speaking on The Role of Tour Guide in Achieving Sustainable Tourism Industry.
However, in her conclusion, she noted that there is evidence that shows guides can enhance visitors’ understanding and valuing of sites, communities, cultures and environments, and influence and monitor visitors’ behaviour, en route, on-site and at destinations.
Globally, tour guides play a multi facet role in the tourism industry although they are not valued or rewarded accordingly. For example, they play a role of communicator, leader, educator, navigator, mediator, first aider, group manager and Sustainability Facilitator.
Dr Black said tour guides can influence three sustainability dimensions. Firstly, they can enhance visitors’ understanding and valuing of sites, communities, cultures and environments through tour guiding.
Secondly, guides can influence and monitor visitors’ behaviour enroute, on-site and at destination, through communicating, role modeling and enforcement.
For example, messages and actions conveyed by guides that can minimise negative impacts include not trampling vegetation, picking flowers, collecting shells, feeding wild animals, harassing wildlife, taking photos of locals and buying products from threatened species amongst others.
Equally, there are messages that could maximise positive impacts and communicated by tour guides including reducing the use of energy and water, reducing waste and littering, keeping pets on a lead or out of natural areas, respecting local cultures and traditions and buying local.
“Their knowledge of the Galapagos is incredible! The fact that so many of them are from here shows their passion. We were very glad that our children could also meet good role models: educated, having goals, caring about the environment,” said a respondent to a survey.
Finally, they also foster visitors’ post-visit pro-environmental and pro-conservation attitudes and behaviours, through persuasive communication.
She said there is evidence that shows tour guiding techniques are being embraced by some operators and guides and there is research that shows guides can enhance visitors’ understanding and valuing of sites.
Research has also showed that guides played a role in educating tourists about village norms, taboos and appropriate behaviour and guides can also make tourists comply with government regulations.
“If you have a good guide, then you have a visitor satisfaction,” added Dr Black. She revealed that most tour guides and stakeholders are not aware of their capacity and potential and advised the tourism industry to take seriously tour guides.