The Impact of Tour Guides’ Professional Competencies on Tourist Behavioral Intention: The Case of Daily Group Tours of Senior Tourists in Hangzhou, China

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Tour guides with their professional skills play a pivotal role in enhancing the travel experience for tourists. Analyzing data from 258 senior tourists in one of the top destinations in China, this study examines the association between tour guide competency and tourists’ behavioral intention. The study reveals that established attitudes toward the relationship are somewhat challenged. The tour guides’ competency has direct impacts on tourists’ perceived quality of itinerary and safety, which in turn influences seniors’ behavioral intention to revisit and recommend the tours to their friends and families. The article contributes to the extant literature on the role of tour guides as facilitators in the senior tourism sector and highlights the mediating roles of perceived safety and itinerary quality in the framework. The findings also offer relevant reference information for multiple stakeholders, who aim to improve senior tourists’ overall experiences in China and beyond.