To what extent do European tourist guide-training curricula include sustainability principles?

Abstract

The present study examines the extent to which the topics of sustainability – considered innovative subjects in guiding – are included in guide training programmes in eight European countries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind in Europe. It is assumed that tourist guides have the unique opportunity to improve visitors’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of a destination and thus contribute to sustainability. Data were collected from training institutions in Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Spain, all participants of INNOGUIDE, a European Union-sponsored project. Analyses were conducted based on the programmes’ documentation and curricula. The programmes vary widely in their content. The issues of sustainability are not sufficiently integrated in tourist guide training programmes. There might be room for improvements of how tourist guides may contribute to visitors’ understanding of sustainability issues, both in the place visited and in general. Future research should replicate the present study employing more detailed investigation and larger samples, as well as study how tourist guide training is structured. Managerial consequences include improvements in guides’ training programmes; additional contributions of the study include criteria and indicators that may be applied in developing or improving such programmes.

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