Transformative Tour Guiding: Training Tour Guides to be Critically Reflective Practitioners

Michael Christie; Peter Mason

doi:10.1080/14724040308668130

Back

Transformative Tour Guiding: Training Tour Guides to be Critically Reflective Practitioners

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Transformative Tour Guiding: Training Tour Guides to be Critically Reflective Practitioners

Michael Christie and Peter Mason

Journal of Ecotourism, Vol.2(1), pp.1-16

2003

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14724040308668130

Files and links (2)

pdf

PDF - Author Accepted Version240.77 kBDownload View

Accepted VersionPDF - Author Accepted Version Open Access

url

https://doi.org/10.1080/14724040308668130View

Published Version

Abstract

Tourism

Interpretation is an indispensable tool for achieving the goals of ecotourism (Weiler & Ham, 2001). Tour guiding is an educational activity that is part of the process of interpretation (Knudson et al., 1995; Pond, 1993). In the past, tour guides were usually untrained, but guide training is now common in most developed countries (McArthur, 1996). Tour guide training is an adult education activity, but much training is competency-based with an emphasis on knowledge transmission and skill acquisition. This article suggests that good training should lead to change, not only in terms of knowledge and skills, but also in attitudes and behaviour. It argues that good guide training should alter how guides think and act, and suggests that if trainee guides learn how to critique their own knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, they will be able to offer their clients (tourists) something more than a superficial introduction to a new environment, country or culture. Current guide-training practices in selected countries are reviewed and discussed. A case study of tour guide training in Kakadu National Park, Australia is presented and used as the basis for a proposed model of training, termed 'transformative tour guiding', which could improve the quality of ecotour guiding, as well as help sustain tourism sites.

Details

Title: Transformative Tour Guiding: Training Tour Guides to be Critically Reflective Practitioners
Authors: Michael Christie (Author) - Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Peter Mason (Author) - University of Luton, United Kingdom
Publication details: Journal of Ecotourism, Vol.2(1), pp.1-16
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2003
DOI: 10.1080/14724040308668130
ISSN: 1472-4049
Copyright note: Copyright © 2003 M. F. Christie & P.A. Mason. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Journal of Ecotourism, 2003, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14724040308668130.
Organisation Unit: School of Education - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99448952102621
Output Type: Journal article

Metrics

663 File views/ downloads

1441 Record Views