Purpose The purpose of this research is to evaluate the communication competency of tour guides using a modified importance–performance analysis (MIPA). Tour guides are cultural ambassadors of a country; their communication skills can make or break tourists’ experiences with guided tours and memories of a destination. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 387 professional tour guides representing 38 per cent of all tour guides in Antalya, Turkey. The study further performs factor analysis using 32 communication competency items to determine underlying performance dimensions. This is followed by an MIPA to statistically identify the gap between factors that tour guides consider important and their perceptions of how they perform on these factors. Findings The study reveals that tour guides need improvement in verbal skills such as grammar, manner of speech and choice of words, as well as non-verbal behaviors such as approachability and the ability to remain friendly while maintaining a certain personal space. Research limitations/implications Due to the nature of this study and certain time limitations, the most effective method proved to be collecting data from a convenient sample of tour guides during their annual workshop. The theory of behavioral communication competency details theoretical and practical implications. Practical implications The study findings provide tour operators and the Association of Professional Tour Guides with a platform from which they can launch educational seminars and workshops to enhance tour guides’ communication competency. Originality/value The study contributes two main findings: This research provides a first-of-its-kind examination of professional tour guides’ communication competency using MIPA. The study improves the efficacy of traditional importance–performance analysis (IPA) models by enhancing them with a gap analysis through a t-test and effect size analysis including a gap analysis takes the arbitrariness out of the process of determining the location of items within the IPA grid. Tourism service providers can use these findings to offer educational seminars that can increase the skill sets of tour guides.

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to assess the perceived importance of the attributes that form the destination image (DI) based on general vacation experiences and opinions of travelers and (2) to compare the expected performance of Turkey’s attributes in attracting travelers from the emerging markets (i.e. China as well as Arab countries) using importance–performance analysis (IPA). The data were gathered from a sample of 426 prospective Chinese and Arab travelers during two prominent travel expositions in Dubai and Shanghai using face-to-face interviews with structured questionnaires. Comparative factor analysis and two generated IPA grids for each sample provided important insights into the perceived DI of emerging markets. More specifically, study findings provide valuable practical management information to destination management organizations in Turkey that want to design tailored marketing strategies for emerging markets. Further practical and theoretical implications are discussed in detail.

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Tourism and Hospitality Management Schools' students must complete their internship before graduation in four or five stars hotels or travel agencies in Turkey. Some students may have negative perceptions of tourism education and working conditions in the industry, after they have worked as trainees in the industry. The aim of the study is to compare the perceptions and expectations of students in relation to tourism industry who have done their internship with those who have not and is to explore the differences in their future expectations and any changes in their career plans. For the purpose of the study a questionnaire was prepared, based on relevant literature, and the survey was conducted in the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at Anadolu University in Turkey. 204 students were selected by the use of stratified sampling as the study sample from the first, second, third and the fourth year. Half of the questionnaires were distributed to students who had done their internship and the rest to the students who had not undertaken internship yet. Results indicate that the respondents' perceptions and expectations of the industry were not significant according to their experience. Finally, the differences between respondents are summarized and implications are drawn for the educational institutions and further studies.

The purpose of this research is to assess the service quality determinants of tour operators and examine the efficacy of these evaluations on overall trip satisfaction when customer mood is introduced as a moderating variable. The overall hypothesis of the article is that tourists' assessments of services and satisfaction may not be free of bias, but may depend on emotional states (such as mood) during the evaluation stage. The study used a sample of german tourists who traveled to the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The findings of the study lend support to previous literature that suggests tourists' moods influence overall trip satisfaction. Specifically, mood had significant interaction effects with intangible components of tour operations, such as staff and tour guides' services, as well as attitudes of locals, in predicting the overall trip satisfaction ratings. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed within the general framework of consumer behavior, and research ideas are provided to help guide further research in the area.