Author(s): AyÅe Nevin SERT, Simge ÅALVARCI
Tourist guidance is the collaboration between allactors in a particular touristic activity. The harmony of the group, the success of the organization and coordination are largely dependent on communicative efforts. One of the most important parts of the process is the tourist guide. Various competencies of a tourist guide are needed for tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty. Tourist guides as cultural ambassadors play multiple roles in group package tours and interact closely with tourists. During a tour, the performance and satisfaction of tourist guides affect the mood of the tourist, tourist expectations, impressions of travel agencies, company reputation and service quality. In addition, interactions between tourists and tourist guides are crucial to the success or failure of the tourist experience, as tourist guides deal with tourists from different cultures. In this context, the cultural competence of tourist guides plays an important role. The purpose of this study is to evaluate Professional tourist guides’ cultural competence which is one of their skills. Within the scope of the study, data was collected from 15 tourist guides on the internet by using the semi-structured interview technique. The data were collected online through the guide chambers and various sites to which the guides are members. The data was analyzed by content analysis, a research technique used to draw systematic and unbiased results from certain characters defined in the text. According to the results obtained from the study, it was seen that sensitivity, knowledge and communication skills are important in cultural competence.
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