Tourist guiding legislation : South Africa, Australia and Canada in a comparative perspective

Abstract

Not only is tourism becoming one of the fastest growing industries of both the developed and developing countries, it is also the point of entry into a country and its culture. The movement of people between countries and the burgeoning size of the tourism industry has created the need for the professionalisation of tourist guides within countries. Furthermore, there has also developed a need for implementing tourist guiding legislation to better regulate the tourism sector.

The tourist guide has become one of the key industry players, because he or she is usually the first point of contact between the tourist and the country. As such, this study will focus on the development and implementation of tourist guiding legislation in three destinations: South Africa, Canada and Australia. It will compare the different regulatory measures each country has implemented and also look at the relationship between the tourist guide and government, as well as the relationship of the tourist guide and the tourist. The importance of the tourist guide as mediator or interpreter will also be focused on. Lastly the concept of cross-border tourism will also be considered, this is because people usually visit more than one country when they go on holiday and tourist guides will often have to operate between the two countries and take part in cross-border tourism.

In short, this study will be a comparative one primarily concerned with tourist guiding legislation within South Africa, Canada and Australia. It will consider the place of the tourist guide within the historical and practical context.