Information and Knowledge Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-5758 (Paper) ISSN 2224-896X (Online) Vol 2, No.8, 2012 14 Towards Operationalization of Tour Guides’ Performance Nehemiah Kiprutto 1 * Noah Sitati 1 Helen Ipara 2 Jacqueline Korir 1 1. School of Tourism, Hospitality & Events Management, Moi University Box 3900, Eldoret, Kenya. 2. School of Natural Resources Management, Chepkoilel University College P.O. Box 1125, Eldoret * E-mail of the corresponding author: nkipruto@mu.ac.ke Abstract Although there is an emergence of new roles of tour guides (TGs), interpretation seems to be their central role. This paper reviews numerous principles and models of interpretation with a goal of establishing a means of measuring tour guides’ (TG) performance. As such, the paper provides an operational definition of their performance as the ability to stimulate and capture the visitors’ attention, provide accurate information with great competence and help them evidently internalize learnt concepts by acting. Key words: Tour guides; Tour guides roles; interpretive models; performance; 1 Introduction Tour guides play vital roles in tourism in general, as well as in its more specific forms such as cultural and adventure tourism. Their services are utilized at destinations, triggering the need for studies relating to the performance of TGs. Cohen (1985) states that tour guides generally play dual roles of pathfinders and mentors. The pathfinder role which is still in existence indicates that TGs show the path to tourists who want to discover more about the place they are visiting, and provide a sense of security in a strange environment (McDonnell, 2001). Cohen (1985) contended that the pathfinder provides privileged access to an otherwise non-public territory. The contemporary mentoring role can be considered to be one of transmission of information and the interpretation of the information. The mentor edifies his or her party as in social mediation and cultural brokerage (Cohen, 1985). Cohen developed the four-quadrant model, which serves as basis for examining tour guide roles. This framework (Figure 1) encompasses four major tour guide functions: instrumental, social, interactionary and communicative. According to Cohen, guiding is evolving and shifting from the logical aspect to the facilitation of experience, from the pathfinder to the mentor role, away from leadership toward mediating and away from the outer toward the inner-directed sphere, with the communicative component becoming the centre of the professional role. Although it is not possible to encompass all guiding roles within a comprehensive framework since guiding is not just about organizing a tour, socializing with tourists, and interpreting what visitors see and experience, TGs are also sales persons, receivers of tips, entrepreneurs and friend - and people with clear self-interest in guiding and telling tourism tales, being mainly motivated by their drive to learn novel things and meet new people (Salazar and Bryon, 2009). Holloway (1981:385-386) lists the roles of tour guides as “information-giver and fount of knowledge”, “teacher or instructor”, “motivator and initiator into the rites of touristic experience”, “missionary or ambassador for one's country”, “entertainer or catalyst for the group”, “confidant, shepherd or ministering angel”, as well as “group leader and disciplinarian”. Weiler and Ham (2000) emphasize the guide’s central role of interpretation and education, while Salazar and Bryon (2009) have identified roles of tour guides as ranging from ambassador, animator, actor, buffer, catalyst, caretaker, communication link, companion, concierge, conduit, culture broker, demonstrator, director, disciplinarian, dragoman, educator, edutainer, entertainer, expert, facilitator, group integrator, host, informal educator, information-giver, infotainer, instructor, interactor, intermediary, interpreter, introducer, leader, manager, mediator, mentor, middleman, moderator, navigator, organizer, pathfinder, presenter, public relations representative, shaman, surrogate parent, teacher and translator.