ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF TOUR GUIDE AND TOUR GROUP LEADER SERVICES IN LIGHT OF SURVEY PILOT RESEARCH
Purpose. The objective of the article is to assess the quality of services provided by tour guides and tour group leaders within the context of deregulation of these professions. Method. A survey questionnaire consisting of 14 questions characterising both traits and skills of tour guides and tour group leaders was used as a research tool to achieve the defined objective. The survey was conducted in the period from March 15 to May 31, 2018 among tourists participating in domestic and foreign trips. Correctly completed questionnaires (274) were collected in the course of the study, of which 121 referred to work quality of mountain and field guides, 103 concerned the quality of services provided by tour group leaders and 50 related to work quality of city guides. Findings. The average assessment of all analysed traits was very high and amounted to 4.58 (!) on a five-point scale. The highest rated traits and skills were as follows: punctuality (4.75), knowledge of topography (4.73), personal manners (4.71), level of professional knowledge (4.7), efficiency in realising the itinerary (4.67), patience and self-control in action (4.6) and neat and good appearance (4.6). In turn, the lowest assessed features were the ability of selecting information (4.3), the skill of making contact (4.4) and the ability of expressing oneself correctly (4.41). Research and conclusions limitations. Based on the conducted research, it cannot be determined whether the deregulation of both professions, i.e. tour guide and tour group leader, had any impact on the quality of provided services. The survey covered tour guides and tour group leaders who obtained their licences before the deregulatory regulations entered into force. No group of tour guides or tour group leaders who worked without completing any training was identified. Practical implications. The research results can be used by diverse institutions introducing various types of certification systems for tour guide services as well as the Ministry of Sport and Tourism in the course of implementing the Sectoral Qualifications Framework in tourism. Originality. The analysis of both tour guide and tour group leader quality of services is not often carried out in our country. The value of the study is the possibility of comparing current research results with the ones from 2006. Type of paper. The article presents empirical research results focused on the quality of services provided by city, field and mountain guides as well as tour group leaders.