Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management December 2019, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 40-47 ISSN: 2372-5125 (Print), 2372-5133 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/jthm.v7n2a5 URL: https://doi.org/10.15640/jthm.v7n2a5 The Role of Tour Guides in Promotion of Sustainable Tourism Practices in Kenya Kabii Francis 1 , John K.M. Wandaka 2 (PhD), Ann Wamathai 3 (PhD) & Naghea Jilo 4 Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of tour guides in the promotion of sustainable tourism practices when visiting protected areas in Kenya when visitors watch wildlife. Although many scholars agree that tour guides have a role in satisfying visitors and promotion of a destination, limited studies have been conducted to find out the role of guides in promotion of sustainable tourism practices. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of tour guides work experience and their level of education on the way they implemented sustainable tourism practices. It also sought to examine whether tour guides adhere to their rules and code of ethics and whether their level of education and work experience had any influence. The target population was practicing tour guides who were randomly selected. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected. The findings from the Chi-square test of independence indicated no significant relationship existed between the tour guides experience and their opinion on their role in protecting wildlife and the environment, and promotion of sustainable tourism practices (χ 2 =1.66, df =3, p=0.647 ) since the p- value was greater than 0.05. The study also noted that there existed a significant relationship between guides work experience (χ 2 =11.71, df =6, p=0.069), guides level of education (χ 2 =0.147, df =2, p=0.092) and their knowledge on visitors impact on the environment and wildlife. The study recommends regularly training of tour guides who then can educate the visitors on the impact of their activities on wildlife, environment and the local communities as a way of mitigating negative impacts Keywords: Tour Guide, Role, Sustainable Tourism, Practices 1.0 Background of the study Limited studies have been conducted in Kenya to examine the role of tour guides in the promotion and enforcement of sustainable tourism practices, a gap this study intended to fill. The study explored impacts of visitors to wildlife and the environment and what tour guides do to ensure negative impacts are mitigated and managed to the lowest level possible. It also evaluated some existing code of ethics that are intended to put in force sustainable tourism practices for both visitors and tour guides. The study proposed that the level of guides‟ education and work experience influences the way they communicate and enforce sustainable tourism practices while conducting a tour. It hypothesizes that there is a significant relationship between tour guides work experience and their level of education and the way they communicate to their visitors „sustainable tourism practices during the tour. According to European Federation of Tourist Guide Association (WFTGA, 2013) a tour guide is a person who guides groups or individuals around venues or places of interest such as natural areas, historic buildings and sites, and landscapes of a city or a region; and interprets the cultural and natural heritage inspiringly and entertainingly in the language of the visitor‟s choice (Cetin, 2017). Tour guides thus play a significant role in promoting sustainable tourism. A study by Pereira & Mykletun, (2012) concluded that guides' contribution to sustainable tourism development is low. However, Kabii, (2017) and AP and Wong (2000) noted that tourist guides provide an important part of the interface between the host destination and visitors since front-line employees are very much responsible for the overall impression and satisfaction with the tour services offered by a destination. 1 Lecturers, Kenya Utalii College, Nairobi, Kenya. E-mail: fkabii@utalii.ac.ke 2 Deputy Director of Studies, Kenya Utalii College. 3 Dean of students, Kenya Utalii College 4 Research Assistant, Kenya Utalii College