Selecting humour in tourism settings: A guide for tourism operators

There appears to be an increase in the number of tourism publications focusing on humour. These new directions explore theoretical and conceptual ideas. The cumulative value of these studies suggests that employing humour in such situations as tour guiding and attractions facilitates positive memorable tourists’ experiences and is good for the success of tourism businesses. There are, however, almost no studies outlining a framework that tourism operators can use to select humour that is appropriate for their setting and target audience. This study explores the practical issues in the application of humour by tourism operators and proposes an accessible, applied framework for the implementation of humour. It is envisaged that tourism operators may find such a framework helpful in guiding their decisions to use humour in their experiential offerings. Further, the steps proposed in the framework may also deliver fresh opportunities for researchers. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd