“Guiding as a profession and guiding as a way of being do not always align”: Exploring health care access, resilience and subjective well-being of nature-based tourism guides in the western United States

Abstract

With the increasing prominence of nature-based tourism, a healthy workforce is necessary to sustain successful outcomes for participants and the industry as a whole. Despite substantial evidence of the benefits of nature-based tourism experiences for participants, limited scientific literature focuses on the health experiences and outcomes of nature-based tourism guides. This study disseminated an online-based survey to nature-based tourism guides in the western United States to collect both quantitative and qualitative data that inquired about aspects of health care access and well-being, as well as sought to identify unique factors guides indicate as contributing towards their health outcomes. Findings show that guides reported resilience significantly predicted differences in subjective well-being, and guides identified additional factors that impacted their health such as community strength, workplace environment, and access to health coverage. These findings help inform suggestions for nature-based tourism operators and managers to support the overall health and well-being of guides and seasonal staff.

Management implications

This study examined various factors that contribute to the health and well-being of nature-based tour guides. As guides are an integral component to executing successful and sustainable tourism experiences for visitors, our research findings emphasize the need for nature-based tourism managers to consider and prioritize the importance of the health and well-being of their staff. These management strategies may include providing or outsourcing resources that can protect or support guides. According to our findings, topics of concern include resilience, health insurance coverage, workplace conflict mitigation and communication strategies, harassment and discrimination trainings, and/or access to mental and physical health services. Furthermore, procedures that integrate health and well-being assessments within the company can help to further tailor trainings to fit the needs of each operation. These findings likely translate to other types of outdoor, seasonal work within the tourism and outdoor recreation professions.