Abstract (150 Words)
Trekking is a popular form of ecotourism in the Himalayas. Tour guides has very important roles in trekking tourism as they help not only to make the travel experience enjoyable but also to educate the visitors through interpretation that contribute to sustainability of local environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of tour guides in trekking tourism to develop a role structure model. Field data were collected from Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal using survey method. Results indicated that group leader, tour leader, teacher, organizer, interpreter, and organizer were the six major roles of tour guides. The roles of trekking guides can be organized into a 3X2 matrix where the rows represent the types of roles (social, instrumental, and educational) and the column represents the orientation of roles (inside the group or outside the group).
Exploring the Roles of Tour Guides in Trekking Tourism
Trekking is a popular form of ecotourism in the Himalayas. Tour guides has very important roles in trekking tourism as they help not only to make the travel experience enjoyable but also to educate the visitors through interpretation that contribute to sustainability of local environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the roles of tour guides in trekking tourism to develop a role structure model. Field data were collected from Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal using survey method. Results indicated that group leader, tour leader, teacher, organizer, interpreter, and organizer were the six major roles of tour guides. The roles of trekking guides can be organized into a 3X2 matrix where the rows represent the types of roles (social, instrumental, and educational) and the column represents the orientation of roles (inside the group or outside the group).
