Analysis of tourist guiding practices, perspectives and challenges in Malta and Klaipeda, Lithuania

Abstract

Tourism is one of the leading industries in Malta and Klaipeda, contributing significantly to the economic and social development of these regions. The tourism sector creates a wide range of job opportunities, one of them are tourist guides, one of the most prominent being that of tourist guides. For this reason, tourist guides are sometimes referred to as tourist ambassadors. This dissertation examines the practices, viewpoints, and challenges tourist guides encounter daily in Klaipeda and Malta and follows them on their daily tours. It exposes the realities of their profession by following them through their daily routines. The SERVQUAL model is applied to measure service quality in tourist guiding by evaluating five key dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Using an exploratory, qualitative research design, this study involved ten qualified tourist guides who were interviewed through semi-structured conversations, conducted both in person and via Zoom. Their varied backgrounds shed important insights on the field and draw attention to both shared and particular difficulties in the two areas. Despite following to EU rules, the education, certification, and retraining systems for tourist guides varies significantly, with differences in the content, course formats, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements, and licence renewal processes. Contrasts may also be seen in the ways that tourist guides communicate and use visual aids. Due to seasonality, tourist guiding is frequently viewed as a seasonal or extra job in Klaipeda, but in Malta it is typically a full-time, lifetime occupation. The laws governing self-employment also vary greatly; in contrast to Malta, Klaipeda guides require regular licence renewals because of seasonal labour. The study advances our knowledge of the tourism guide industry by contrasting these two culturally diverse yet distinct tourist destinations. The findings offer useful information for educators, legislators, and tourism experts looking to strengthen tourist regulations, boost training initiatives, and eventually improve the traveller experience by using more knowledgeable and efficient guiding techniques.