Tourist and Tour Guide Behavior
Tour guide and tourist roles have a significant impact on touring behavior and perceptions. One
behavioral aspect that has a major influence on guide perceptions of attractions is the regimentation of their
jobs. In Singapore, most of the tour routes are well established. Some guides have tried to break out of this
established routine, with varying degrees of success. For most, however, the routine tours give them a spatially
The home is a distinctly separate spatial sphere which exposes the guides to aspects of a place which are
seen by few tourists. In Singapore, most guides live in modern, high- rise new town apartment buildings which
tourists only get glimpses of from afar. The home sphere also exposes guides to popular local images of, and
possible controversies over, attractions. Tourists are limited to the promoted images of attractions as provided
in guidebooks and on guided tours, although frequent and more knowledgeable tourists may be exposed to the
deeper, complex perspective of guides.
One result of the behavioral space of tour guides is that they are more likely to perceive a place's
attractions as "touristy". This is due to the guide's constant exposure to the principle tourist attractions of a
place. The guide's greater familiarity with the promoted images, popular images and real experiences of
attractions are likely to make them more critical, particularly where there is a discrepancy between any two of
these three impressions.
Tourists, on the other hand, have considerable freedom to express their interests beyond that of the
established tour routes. They are primarily constrained by their lack of knowledge about places beyond the
established tourist areas. Guided tours are viewed as an important step in overcoming this constraint, although
once a place has been placed on the tour route, it is no longer of the mysterious region beyond. The tourist's
lack of knowledge also gives them a simpler and more esthetic experience of attractions than that of insiders
[16, pp.63-6].
As spurious recreationists, tourists are most interested in entertainment, relaxation and sports. Their
impact on tourist attractions is, therefore, greatest on these "leisure" attractions. Often, tourists are only in need
of directional information to locate these types of attractions, and little else. In their more serious mode, tourists
are more in what Lew [8] has referred to as "fascination" attractions. These include ethnic districts, such as
Chinatown and Little India in Singapore, and historic sites. Considerable information is often provided by tour
guides and guidebooks who introduce tourists to these attractions. Tourists have some degree of freedom to
expand upon these introductions to pursue their own interests. For tourists, therefore, there is no distinction
between guided or unguided experiences of attractions; each serves a function as part of their overall
experience. Thus, despite the distinctions between guided and unguided touring, and between recreation and
serious travel, the tourist experience of a place is more holistic than is the guide experience which is divided
into work and home realms.