Humour in supplier-customer interactions: The views of Australian tourism operators

Much of the literature on the tourism-humour relationship focuses on the perceptions of tourists. Little research exists on the views of tourism operators. The aim of this study is to report on feedback provided by tourism industry stakeholders after they participated in a workshop intended to enhance their knowledge of humour and its use in customer interactions. Three interactive workshops were held with 23 participants for the purpose of informing tourism personnel how to use humour effectively when interacting directly with customers. The tourism operators' perspectives are used to highlight ways humour can be used as a strategic tool for customer engagement. © 2019 Cracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language Studies.