Coaching to enhance community capacity: the ecotourism guide

Abstract

This paper explores a contemporary perspective of ecotourism operations, coaching and the role of the interpretive guide. It is proposed that a new coaching approach could be beneficial in realising better outcomes for the local guides and facilitate greater awareness of local community values. This approach is intended to incorporate two aspects of community capacity enhancement: a) aid community members’ ability to identify and achieve important values and goals in relation to the ecotourism operations; and b), provide a framework and interpretive pathway for the integration and evaluation of these values into the guide’s role. This paper originates from the combined outcomes of two recent research projects. One focused upon the effectiveness of coaching in regional tourism. The other focused upon ecotourism’s contribution to concepts of sustainable tourism in remote locations via the interpretive guide’s role. The significant methodology involves means-end analysis and a ladder of abstraction interview approach. The stimulus for their combined consideration was a recent invitation by the Vava’u Tourism Association to conduct a scoping project involving the local whale swim tourism industry. The pilot phase of this project examined interpretive conduct, guide perceptions of their role and its contribution to community capacity building and sustainability.