Assessment of the Guiding Potential of General Tour Guides to Historical and Cultural Attraction

Abstract

This research aimed to evaluate the potential of general tour guides in interpreting historical and cultural tourist attractions. It was a quantitative research study. The sample consisted of 400 Thai tourists traveling in Bangkok, selected through convenience sampling. A questionnaire was used as the research instrument for data collection. Statistics used for data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and t-test. The research results found that the potential of general tour guides in interpreting historical and cultural tourist attractions was overall at a high level, with the Personality dimension receiving the highest mean score. The comparison of opinions within the group of tourists regarding the potential of general tour guides showed statistically significant differences across all dimensions at the .05 level. The guidelines for developing the potential of general tour guides are as follows: 1) Personality: tour guides should demonstrate politeness and courtesy in both verbal communication and behavior; 2) Knowledge: tour guides should possess knowledge of various types of tourism; 3) Skills: tour guides should have the ability to work effectively as part of a team; 4) Attitude: tour guides should be able to manage and control their emotions appropriately; and 5) Skills: Ethics: tour guides should be punctual and adhere to professional ethical standards.