Reconceptualising Interpretation: The Role of Tour Guides in Authentic Tourism

Reconceptualising Interpretation: The Role of Tour Guides in Authentic Tourism Yvette Reisinger School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Florida International University, 3000 N.E. 151st Street HM 210, North Miami, Florida, USA Carol Steiner Jitter Philosophical Services, 12 Nolan Street, Sarina, Queensland, Australia The aim of this paper is to reconceptualise interpretation as one of the major f unctions of a tour guide. The paper is based on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger (1996) . It suggests that tour guides in their current incarnation might be largely superflu ous in authentic tourism. The reconceptualisation of interpretation by adopting Heidegg ers philosophy promises to enhance the role of tour guides in authentic tourism and enrich the tourism experiences. Special attention is paid to unusual tour guides workin g in Israel. doi: 10.2167/cit280.0 Keywords: interpretation, tour guides, authentic tourism Introduction Authentic tourism has fascinated tourism scholars for several decades (Arsenault, 2003; Berger, 1973; Berman, 1970; Brown, 1996; Crang, 1996; Dann, 2002; Handler, 1986; Hughes, 1995; Laenen, 1989; McIntosh & Prentice, 1999; Pons, 2003; Ryan, 2000; Turner & Manning, 1988; Venkatesh, 1992; Wang, 1996, 1999). Authentic tourism refers not to consumption of the real or genuine (Reisinger & Steiner, 2006) but rather to individual and personal tourist experi ences that contribute to ones sense of identity and connectedness with the world (Steiner & Reisinger, 2006). The authors suggest that the individual and personal dimension of authentic tourism should extend to people making up their own minds about how they experience and interpret the toured world. Of course, this could mean that tour guides in their current incarnation might be largely superfluous in authentic tourism. But it might be a worthwhile philosophical exercise to examine what tour guides do, see what that tells us about the concepts of meaning-making and interpretation, and perhaps recast their role to find a place for them in authen tic tourism, drawing on an Israeli model. Finding a role for tour guides in authentic tourism calls for a rethink of what tour guides most commonly do. It also calls for a reconceptualisation of interpr etation as a tour guide responsibility. The reconceptualisation the authors 1466-4208/06/06 0481-18 $20.00/0 © 2006 Y. Reisinger & C. Steiner Current Issues in Tourism Vol. 9, No. 6, 2006 481 Current Issues in Tourism offer is based on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger (1996) who has quite unusual ideas about how people as human beings understand and interpret experience. This philosophical paper will first outline the roles and responsibilities of tour guides as reflected in tourism literature. Next, it will explore convention al ideas about meaning-making and interpretation as they relate to the work of tour guides. Then, it will outline Heideggers concepts of understanding and interpretation. Finally, it will make some preliminary suggestions on how a reconceptualisation of interpretation might affect the role of tour guides, with special attention paid to unusual tour guides working in Israel. The Role of Tour Guides Tour guides have been described as information givers, sources of knowledge, mentors, surrogate parents, pathfinders, leaders, mediators, culture brokers and entertainers (Cohen, 1985; DeKadt, 1979; McKean, 1976; Nettekoven, 1979; Schuchat, 1983). Pond (1993) says tour guides help tourists to understand the places they visit. Holloway (1981) notes that information giving is of greatest importance in the tour guides drive for professional status. Wang et al. (2002) report that tour guides presentation skills could make or break a tour. According to Cohen (1985), tour guides serve four major functions: instrumental, social, interactionary, and communicative. Cohen also identifies four types of guides who focus on one of each of these functions: Originals, Animators, Tour Leaders, and Professionals. Originals are pathfinders who perform primarily the instrumental function. Their task is to ensure that tourists reach their destination and return safely. They are often called pathbreakers because they select the route and the attractions and make them accessible to tourists. However, they point out objects of interest without offering elaborate explanati ons. Animators perform the social function by interacting and socialising with tourists, being friendly, listening and respecting their preferences. Tour Leade rs perform the interactionary function by facilitating interaction among tourists and with the environment. Professionals perform the communicative function, which involves transferring detailed information (e.g. telling and explaining to tourists where, when and why to look, how to behave) and interpreting attraction s, sites and experiences. Cohen (1985) claims Professionals are similar to mentors, but while the original role of the mentor was spiritual and intellectua l guidance, the communicative function of the professional/mentor tour guide has four components: (1) selection of the itinerary (what to see and experience, as well as what not to see); (2) dissemination of correct and precise informatio n; (3) interpretation of what is seen and experienced; and (4) fabrication, that is , presenting fake information as though it were genuine/true. The International Association of Tour Managers (IATM) and the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (EFTGA) define a tour guide as a person who interprets in an inspiring and entertaining manner, in the language of the visitors choice, the cultural and natural heritage and environment (IATM, EFTGA, 1998). The Professional Tour Guide Association of San Antonio (1997) refers to a tour guide as a person who leads groups while providing interpretati on and commentary. Weiler and Ham (2000: 1) believe Interpretation lies at The Role of Tour Guides in Authentic Tourism the heart and soul of what any good tour guide can and should be doing and say the interpretive skills of tour guides can enhance the quality of tourists experiences. According to Ap and Wong (2001), mediating and culture broking are two interpretive functions of the tour guides work. Tour guides mediate between tourists and locals and the environment. Mediating moves beyond telling tourists how to think and feel about their experiences; it is about leading them to their own conclusions and letting them learn. Culture broking is the act of bridging, linking or mediating between groups or persons of differing cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change (Jezewski & Sotnik, 2001). A culture broker is someone who can communicate effectively and translate knowledge and skills from one culture to another (Wyatt, 1978/79), take mainstream values and communicate them to ethnic cultures, and communicate ethnic culture to the mainstream (Gentemann & Whitehead, 1983). A culture broker thoroughly understands different cultural systems, is able to interpret cultural systems from one frame of reference to another, can mediate cultural incompatibilities, and knows how to build bridges or establish linkages across cultures that facilitate the instructional process (Gay, 1993). The culture broking role covers more than being a language interpreter, although this is an important attribute in cross-cultural situations where language is a problem. Some people suggest that culture brokers are interpreting the culture (Michie, 2004). Ap and Wong (2001) and Kimmel (undated) believe tour guides interpretive work plays a vital role in enhancing visitors experience and understanding of a destination and its culture. Ap and Wong (2001) say tour guides, through their knowledge and understanding of a destinations attractions and culture and through their communication skills, transform tourists visits from tours into experiences. Moscardo (1998) identifies three main ways in which interpretation can contribute to the quality of visitors experience. These are: (1) providing information on the available options so tourists can make the best choices about what they do and where they go; (2) providing information to encourage safety and comfort so tourists know how to cope with and better manage encountered difficulties (e.g. sea sickness) and understand messages given by the warning signs (e.g. you cannot swim here); and (3) creating the actual experience so tourists can participate in activities such as guided walks, ecotours, visit art galleries, fauna sanctuaries or zoos, and learn in areas of educational interest . Moscardo (1996: 382) claims that interpretation is trying to produce mindful visitors; visitors who are active, questioning and capable of reassessing the wa y they view the world. In other words, interpretation of information can give tourists new insights and understandings of the area they visit and the culture and environment they experience. Many scholars are very enthusiastic about tour guides and their contribution to tourist experiences. For example, some claim that tour guides interpretation contributes to the sustainable wildlife tourism (Moscardo et al., 2004). Others believe the interpretation contributes to managing the interactions between wildlife and tourists, behaving in way that minimises visitor impact on environm ent, explaining management strategies and supporting safety messages (McArthur & Hall, 1993; Moscardo, 1998). Gray (1993) argues that interpreta Current Issues in Tourism tion can raise visitors knowledge and awareness of wildlife and encourage pro-conservation attitudes. According to Ham (1992) and Moscardo (1998), interpretation enhances visitor satisfaction and contributes to the commercial viability of tourism operations. There are also reports that the interpretation programs resulted in less coral damage in areas along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea (Newsome et al., 2002 cited in Moscardo et al., 2004) and that zoo interpretational programmes encouraged greater knowledge uploads/Societe et culture/ role-of-guide.pdf

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Société et cultureinterpretation tourism guides their tourists
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