Tourists’ perceptions of the tour guides: the case of gastronomic tours in Istanbul

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to understand tourists’ perceptions of the professional tour guides in gastronomic tour experiences. This study adopted a qualitative case study approach utilizing user-generated content by analysing travellers’ comments on the TripAdvisor website. The data was collected between 28 February-18 April 2019 from travellers’ reviews of experiences they had between January 2017 and February 2019. The findings reveal four core themes: attributes, knowledge, communication skills (educators, involving tour members and maintaining their attention) and value-added experience. Moreover, a model explaining the relationship between the themes is also provided. Since no previous empirical studies exist on the tourists’ perceptions of the tour guides in gastronomic tour experiences, with providing an in-depth understanding of the subject, this study fills a gap in the current literature.