The Impact of Cultural Intelligence of Tourist Guides on Tourist Satisfaction: A Study of Local Tourist Guides in Petra City, Jordan

  • Fadwa H. Alhasanat Independent researcher
  • Ma'moun A. Habiballah Department of Hotel Management, Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma'an-Jordan
  • Sami A. Alhasanat Department of Archeology and Tourism Services Management, Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma'an-Jordan
Keywords: Tourists guide, Cultural Intelligence, Petra, Jordan, Performance, Tourists satisfaction

Abstract

This paper focuses on investigating the influence of tourist guides' Cultural Intelligence (CI) on their perceived performance and to examine the relationship between this performance and tourists' satisfaction. The study adopted the deductive approach by carrying out a survey using self-administrated questionnaires that were distributed to 382 inbound tourists in Petra city-Jordan, who were selected conveniently. 290 questionnaires were collected with an achieved response rate of 76.1%. Collected data were analyzed using statistical techniques including standard multiple regression and Pearson correlation. Findings showed that CI has a positive effect on local tourist guides' performance, which in turn has a significant positive correlation with the level of tourist satisfaction. Based on these findings, official training programs that include CI courses was recommended for local tourist guides in Petra city.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

PlumX Statistics

References

1. Alazaizeh, M. M., Jamaliah, M. M., Mgonja, J. T., & Ababneh, A. (2019). Tour guide performance and sustainable visitor behavior at cultural heritage sites. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(11), 1708-1724.‏
2. Al‐Hallaq, S. S., Athamneh, A. B., & Suleiman, H. M. (2020). The impact of foreign direct investment on the growth of the tourism sector in Jordan (1980–2016). Journal of Public Affairs, 20(2), e2005.‏
3. Alhasanat, S. (2016). Tourism, Politics and Social Change in Petra Region, Jordan: A Community in Crisis, 1994-2014. Germany :Profil-Verlag.‏
4. Al-Makhadmah, I. M. (2020). The role of virtual museum in promoting religious tourism in Jordan. Geo Journal of Tourism and Geosites, 28(1), 268-274.‏
5. Alrawadieh, Z., Cetin, G., Dincer, M. Z., & Istanbullu Dincer, F. (2020). The impact of emotional dissonance on quality of work life and life satisfaction of tour guides. The Service Industries Journal, 40(1-2), 50-64.‏
6. Alshaibani, E. & Bakir, A. (2017). A reading in cross-cultural service encounter: Exploring the relationship between cultural intelligence, employee performance and service quality. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 17(3), 249-263.‏
7. Ang, S. & Van Dyne, L. (Eds.) (2008). Handbook of Cultural Intelligence: Theory. Measurement and Application. New York: NY: M.E. Sharpe.
8. Ap, J. & Wong, K. K. (2001). Case study on tour guiding: Professionalism, issues and problems. Tourism Management, 22(5), 551-563.
9. Atilgan, E., Akinci, S., & Aksoy, S. (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality. An International Journal,13(5),412-422.
10. Avruch, K. (1998). Culture & conflict resolution. Washington: United States Institute of Peace Press.‏
11. Bahang, M. D., Wello, B., & Akil, M. (2018). Professional Role of Tour Guides and Theoretical Consequences of Intercultural Communication. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 9(4), 832-839.‏
12. Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory in cultural context. Applied Psychology, 51(2), 269-290.‏
13. Barker, G. G. (2016). Cross-cultural perspectives on intercultural communication competence. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 45(1), 13-30.‏
14. Baum, T., Hearns, N., & Devine, F. (2007). Place, people and interpretation: issues of migrant labour and tourism imagery in Ireland. Tourism Recreation Research, 32(3), 39-48.
15. Beerli, A. & Martin, J. D. (2004). Factors influencing destination image. Annals of tourism research, 31(3), 657-681.‏
16. Cetı̇nkaya, M. Y. & Öter, Z. (2016). Role of tour guides on tourist satisfaction level in guided tours and impact on re-visiting Intention: a research in Istanbul. European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 7(1), 40-54.‏
17. Chan, A., Hsu, C. H., & Baum, T. (2015). The impact of tour service performance on tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions: A study of Chinese tourists in Hong Kong. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(1-2), 18-33.‏
18. Chandralal, L., Rindfleish, J., & Valenzuela, F., Tsai, C. Y., Wang, M. T., & Tseng, H. T. (2016). The impact of tour guides’ physical attractiveness, sense of humor, and seniority on guide attention and efficiency. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 33(6), 824-836.‏
19. Chang, K. (2014). Examining the effect of tour guide performance, tourist trust, tourist satisfaction, and flow experience on tourists' shopping behavior. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 19(2), 219-247.
20. Charoensukmongkol, P. & Pandey, A. (2020). The influence of cultural intelligence on sales self-efficacy and cross-cultural sales presentations: does it matter for highly challenge-oriented salespeople?. Management Research Review, 43(12).‏
21. Chen, A. S. Y., Wu, I. H., & Bian, M. D. (2014). The moderating effects of active and agreeable conflict management styles on cultural intelligence and cross-cultural adjustment. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 14(3), 270-288.‏
22. Chen, A. S. & Fu. Y. (2018). The Relationship between Cultural Intelligence and Career Satisfaction with the Moderating Effect of Job Autonomy. Proceedings of the 17th Asia-Pacific Conference on Global Business, Economics Finance & Social Sciences, Hong Kong , January 19-20, 2018.
23. Crowne, K. A. (2008). What leads to cultural intelligence?. Business horizons, 51(5), 391-399.‏
24. Dahles, H. (2002). The politics of tour guiding: Image management in Indonesia. Annals of Tourism Research, 29(3), 783-800.‏
25. Dai, T., Hein, C., & Zhang, T. (2019). Understanding how Amsterdam City tourism marketing addresses cruise tourists’ motivations regarding culture. Tourism Management Perspectives, 29, 157-165.‏
26. Deardorff, D. K. (2011). Assessing intercultural competence. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(149), 65.‏
27. Deng, L. & Gibson, P. (2008). A qualitative evaluation on the role of cultural intelligence in cross-cultural leadership effectiveness. International journal of leadership studies, 3(2), 181-197.‏
28. Earley, P. C. (2002). Redefining interactions across cultures and organizations: Moving forward with cultural intelligence. Research in Organizational Behavior, 24, 271-299.‏
29. Earley, P. C. & Ang, S. (2003).Cultural intelligence: Individual interactions across cultures. Palo Atlo, CA: Stanford University Press.‏
30. Erawati, N. M. R. & Budarma, I. K. (2020). The impacts of tour guide’s interpretation on green tourism. Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Triatma Jaya, 9(2), 166-178.
31. Ersoy, A. (2014). The Role of Cultural Intelligence in Cross-Cultural Leadership Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study in the Hospitality Industry. Journal of Yasar University, 35(9).‏
32. Furrer, O., Liu, B. S. C., & Sudharshan, D. (2000). The relationships between culture and service quality perceptions: Basis for cross-cultural market segmentation and resource allocation. Journal of Service Research, 2(4), 355-371.‏
33. Holloway, J. C. & Taylor, N. (2006). The Business of Tourism. Sweden : Pearson education press.‏
34. Hu, W. (2007). Tour guides and sustainable development: the case of Hainan. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, university of Waterloo, Canada.‏
35. Huang, S, Hsu, C., & Chan, A. (2010). The tour guide performance and tourist satisfaction: A study of the package tours in Shanghai. Journal of Hospitality &Tourism Research,34(1),3-33.
36. Jamilena, D. M., Sabiote-Ortiz, C. M., Martín-Santana, J. D., & Beerli-Palacio, A. (2018). Antecedents and consequences of cultural intelligence in tourism. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8, 350-358.‏
37. Krejcie, R. V. & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and psychological measurement, 30(3), 607-610.‏
38. Kuo, N. T., Cheng, Y. S., Chang, K. C., & Chuang, L. Y. (2018). The asymmetric effect of tour guide service quality on tourist satisfaction. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 19(4), 521-542.‏
39. Liu, R. R. & McClure, P. (2001). Recognizing cross-cultural differences in consumer complaint behavior and intentions: an empirical examination. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(1), 54-75.‏
40. Liu, X. & Li, Z. (2019). Grouping tourist complaints: what are inbound visitors’ problems with Chinese destinations?. Asia Pacific. Journal of Tourism Research, 24(4), 348-364.‏
41. Macnab, B., Brislin, R., & Worthley, R. (2012). Experiential cultural intelligence development: Context and individual attributes. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(7), 1320-1341.‏
42. Mancini, M. (2000). Conducting tours: A practical guide. Scarborough: Nelson education.‏
43. Mariani, M. M., Borghi, M., & Okumus, F. (2020). Unraveling the effects of cultural differences in the online appraisal of hospitality and tourism services. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90.
44. Mattila, A. S. (2000). The impact of culture and gender on customer evaluations of service encounters. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 24(2), 263-273.‏
45. Nguyen, H. L. (2015). The impacts of tour guide performance on foreign tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty in Vietnam. Unpublished doctoral thesis , university of Western Sydney.
46. Overend, D. (2012). Performing sites: Illusion and authenticity in the spatial stories of the guided tour. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 12(1), 44-54.‏
47. Özdemir, C. & Yolal, M. (2017). Cross-cultural tourist behavior: An examination of tourists’ behavior in guided tours. Tourism and hospitality research, 17(3), 314-324.
48. Pond, K. L. (1993). The professional guide: Dynamics of tour guiding. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.‏
49. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. London: Prentice hall financial times.‏

50. Sekaran, U. (2000). Research Methods for Business. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
51. Setiawan, A., Hasibuan, H. A., Siahaan, A. P. U., Indrawan, M. I., Rusiadi, I. F., Wakhyuni, E., ... & Rahayu, S. (2018). Dimensions of cultural intelligence and technology skills on employee performance. Int. J. Civ. Eng. Technology, 9(10), 50-60.‏
52. Sheehan, L., Ritchie, J. B., & Hudson, S. (2007). The destination promotion triad: Understanding asymmetric stakeholder interdependencies among the city, hotels, and DMO. Journal of Travel Research, 46(1), 64-74.‏
53. Spencer-Oatey, H. (Ed.). (2008). Culturally speaking second edition: culture, communication and politeness theory. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.‏
54. Teimouri, H., Hoojaghan, F. A., Jenab, K., & Khoury, S. (2015). The effect of managers’ cultural intelligence on attracting foreign tourists: Case study. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 3(2), 39-51.‏
55. Templar, K. J., Tay, C., & Chandrasekar, N. A. (2006). Motivational cultural intelligence, realistic job previews, realistic living conditions previews, and cross‐cultural adjustment. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 154-73.‏
56. Thomas, D. C. & Inkson, K. (2004). Cultural intelligence. San Francisco: Barrette-Koehler.
57. Triandis, H. C. (2006). Cultural intelligence in organizations. Group & Organization Management, 31(1), 20-26.‏
58. Tu, H., Guo, W., Xiao, X., & Yan, M. (2020). The relationship between tour guide humor and tourists’ behavior intention: A cross-level analysis. Journal of Travel Research, 59(8), 1478-1492.‏
59. Van Dyne, L., Ang, S., & Livermore, D. (2010). Cultural intelligence: A pathway for leading in a rapidly globalizing world. Leading across differences, 4(2), 131-138.‏
60. Weiler, B. & Ham, S. H. (2002).Tour guide training: A model for sustainable capacity building in developing countries. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 10(1), 52-69.
61. Whittlesey, L. H. (2007). Storytelling in Yellowstone: horse and buggy tour guides. New Mexico: UNM Press.
62. Wirawan, I. M. A., Wirawan, D. N., Kurniasari, N. M. D., & Merati, K. T. P. (2020). Travel agent and tour guide perceptions on travel health promotion in Bali. Health Promotion International, 35(1), e43-e50.‏
63. You, P. S., Chen, M. H., & Su, C. H. (2019). Travel agent’s tour selection and sightseeing bus schedule for group package tour planning. Tourism Economics, 1(23), 98-108.
64. Zhao, F., Deng, L., & Kemp, L. J. (2013). Interrelationships between cultural intelligence dimensions and the role of intrapersonal intelligence. Journal of General Management, 38(3), 3-24.‏
Published
2023-09-30
How to Cite
Alhasanat, F. H., Habiballah, M. A., & Alhasanat, S. A. (2023). The Impact of Cultural Intelligence of Tourist Guides on Tourist Satisfaction: A Study of Local Tourist Guides in Petra City, Jordan. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 19(26), 108. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2023.v19n26p108
Section
ESJ Humanities