THE IMPORTANCE OF TOUR GUIDES TRAINING IN ADJARA REGION, GEORGIA

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the influence of training on guides’ job satisfaction, as well as the relationship between service satisfaction and demographic variables. The research was conducted among independent tour guides, agency-based tour guides, and customers. Although the relationships among these variables have been widely studied by scholars, there is a lack of empirical data specifically in the context of Georgia’s Adjara Region. Adjara is one of the most visited destinations in Georgia (Georgian Tourism Association 2024). Considering the region’s Geographical, political and diverse religious characteristics, tour guides require relevant qualification, particularly, in terms of providing precise information. It is also quite interesting to examine the international practice about managing tour guides. In various countries, such as Singapore (Board, n.d.), Japan (Huang & Weiler 2010; (Thomson, Tanaka, & Morikoshi, 2021) and so on, tour guides are well-trained and licensed (Huang, S. & Weiler, B. 2010). Empirical findings claim that training influences employee performance and job satisfaction (Nauman, Bhatti, Jalil, & Riaz, 2021) (Okechukwu, 2017). The research employed a mixed-methods approach as it consists of quantitative as well as qualitative components. The collected data was analyzed by widely applied software SPSS that gives scholars the opportunity to process large numerical data through performing various analytical approaches. Despite the contributions of the research, it has certain limitations.