Tour guides and emotional labour : an overview of links in the literature

This paper is based on literature utilised in my PhD research into particular areas of the tourism industry comprising both tour guides and emotional labour. I have chosen to concentrate on this particular area of under developed inquiry as there has only recently been a demonstrated interest in examining these two divergent areas (see Guerrier and Adib 2003; see also Sharpe 2005).Tour guides present themselves to the public through their interactions with tour groups. Emotional labour can also be one of the methods they use to interact with the public on their tours. Guides can also incorporate the emotional side of their interpretive work into their tourist products and tours, through the ways they impart both education and knowledge to the tourists. In many cases, educative and cultural expertise is also informed by usage of emotional labour.Theories ranging from Goffman (1959) and Hochschild (1983), and more recent literature surrounding the notions of emotional labour and tour guides have been juxtaposed in this paper to provide an insightful linkage between these areas of burgeoning interest.