{"title":"Professional competence development of heritage guides","authors":"Xinyi Jiang, Sharif Shams Imon, Zhaoyu Chen","doi":"10.1080/1743873X.2023.2234056","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper explores the critical issues regarding heritage guides’ professional competence development in Macao – a prominent tourist destination – by analysing the current competence development system. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with professional heritage guides and trainers who lead the guide training programme in Macao. Additionally, official documents and previous research on related topics are reviewed. The study found that the guides, with experience ranging from 2 to 46 years, enhance their professional competence through both formal and informal processes. Three significant factors that impact their competence development are intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and constraints. Based on the findings, practical approaches are suggested for developing professional competence by taking advantage of the opportunities available in Macao. The study also proposes solutions to address the shortcomings and improve the system.","PeriodicalId":47192,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Heritage Tourism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Heritage Tourism","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2023.2234056","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
ABSTRACT This paper explores the critical issues regarding heritage guides’ professional competence development in Macao – a prominent tourist destination – by analysing the current competence development system. The data is collected through semi-structured interviews with professional heritage guides and trainers who lead the guide training programme in Macao. Additionally, official documents and previous research on related topics are reviewed. The study found that the guides, with experience ranging from 2 to 46 years, enhance their professional competence through both formal and informal processes. Three significant factors that impact their competence development are intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and constraints. Based on the findings, practical approaches are suggested for developing professional competence by taking advantage of the opportunities available in Macao. The study also proposes solutions to address the shortcomings and improve the system.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Heritage Tourism ( JHT ) is a peer-reviewed, international transdisciplinary journal. JHT focuses on exploring the many facets of one of the most notable and widespread types of tourism. Heritage tourism is among the very oldest forms of travel. Activities such as visits to sites of historical importance, including built environments and urban areas, rural and agricultural landscapes, natural regions, locations where historic events occurred and places where interesting and significant living cultures dominate are all forms of heritage tourism. As such, this form of tourism dominates the industry in many parts of the world and involves millions of people. During the past 20 years, the study of tourism has become highly fragmented and specialised into various theme areas, or concentrations. Within this context, heritage tourism is one of the most commonly investigated forms of tourism, and hundreds of scholars and industry workers are involved in researching its dynamics and concepts. This academic attention has resulted in the publication of hundreds of refereed articles in various scholarly media, yet, until now there has been no journal devoted specifically to heritage tourism; Journal of Heritage Tourism was launched to fill this gap. JHT seeks to critically examine all aspects of heritage tourism. Some of the topics to be explored within the context of heritage tourism will include colonial heritage, commodification, interpretation, urban renewal, religious tourism, genealogy, patriotism, nostalgia, folklore, power, funding, contested heritage, historic sites, identity, industrial heritage, marketing, conservation, ethnicity, education and indigenous heritage.