Tour guides and sustainable development: The case of Hainan, China.

摘要

Tour guides are one of the most visible players in tourism but, to date, little scholarly attention has been given to tour guides and guiding, not to speak of the links that tour guides may have with sustainable development. This study addresses the gap by promoting an understanding of how tour guides can assist in moving tourism in a sustainable direction. Three research objectives are identified: to understand sustainable development and the relationships between sustainable development and tourism; to explore the roles and responsibilities of tour guides and their implications for the promotion of sustainability; and to examine whether, to what extent and why (or why not), in practice, tour guides exert their functions to support sound tourism development.;As a central agent in the entire tourism system, tour guides have direct contacts with both the visitor and the visited, working across all of the sectors of the tourism industry. They have a variety of roles to play in response to the expectations of the various tourism stakeholders including the tourists, the destination resources, the local communities, the employers, the governmental authorities and the guides themselves. A literature review suggests that tour guides can support sound tourism development leading towards sustainability by actively exerting their functions on experience management, resources management and local economic promotion to assist tourists to obtain enjoyable and rewarding experiences, to facilitate environmental conservation in destination places and to stimulate consumption and the production of local products and services. Interpretative guiding is the means by which tour guides can realize these above potentials.;A case study was conducted in Hainan, China. The guiding performance there was examined to see whether and to what extent tour guides are contributing to the achievement of local sustainability. It was discovered that the tour guides in Hainan do not exert (well) their expected functions either in enhancing enjoyable experiences for tourists, in supporting local resource conservation, or in promoting the healthy development of the local economy. Their potentials are blocked by the issues and problems of instant money-making-centered guiding conduct, below-cost group receiving industry practices and unfair remuneration system for the guides, absence of protection measures to ensure the guides' interests, opportunism in guiding and lenient certificating requirements, lack of professionalism and effective training, ineffective monitoring measures, and limited awareness of sustainable development. In order to better the situation, unhealthy travel and trade industry practice should be banned; effective certificating, training and monitoring measures should be developed and implemented; tour guides' personal interests should be protected and local awareness of sustainability, in particular that of the industry members, should be fostered. Serious efforts of the government administration as well as industry members and tour guides are required if tour guides are to fulfill their potential as agents of sustainable development.;Keywords: Tour guides, Sustainable development, Hainan, China;Sustainable development is expected to improve the quality of life for all people without causing undesirable ecological and socio-cultural outcomes. As one development option, tourism may be incorporated as part of the strategy to achieve the destination's sustainability. In doing so, each of the tourism players has their own roles and responsibilities to contribute in the quest for a sound tourism performance.