Tour Guides as Critically Reflective Practitioners: A Proposed Training Model

Abstract

Tour guiding is an educational activity that is part of the process of interpretation. Although in the past, most tour guides were untrained, guide training is now common in most developed countries. Tour guide training is an adult education activity. Much of this training is knowledge-based and competency-based, with an emphasis on skill acquisition and while this is regarded as important, this article suggests that good training as part of an educational process should be also about values and attitudes. The article argues that a guide training course should lead to change—not just in terms of knowledge and skills, but change in the way guides think and act. It argues that if trainee guides learn how to critique their own knowledge, attitudes and behaviour they will be able to offer their clients something beyond a superficial introduction to a destination's environment and/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) indicating possibilities for future development, is presented. A model is proposed with the triple objectives of improving the quality of guiding, augmenting the commercial value of tourism and attemping to sustain tourism destinations.

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