Social status of the tour guide as a cultural brocker in the transmission of symbolic meanings
https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6401-2024-3-77-90
Abstract
The article analyzes the impact of current social changes on the social status of the tour guide. It is substantiated that, despite the variety of functions of tour tour guiding, the role of a tour guide as a cultural mediator remains of key importance for modern society. It is argued that guides belong to the community of intellectuals and influence the formation and transmission of symbolic meanings, promoting intergroup dialogue and public consensus. The main social issues faced by tour guides in the context of growing commercialization and technologization of tourism services were identified based on interviews with tour guides in the Kaliningrad region. It is concluded that the main challenges to the status of guides today are the blurred boundaries of occupation, lack of social recognition of professional competencies and the difficulty of adapting excursion activities to the conditions of the digital economy. It is proved however that at their core, tour guides confirm their status of the intellectual community and have requests characteristic of it.
About the Author
T. V. BeletskayaRussian Federation
Tatiana V. Beletskaya, senior lecturer
bld. 14, Aleksandra Nevskogo St., Kaliningrad, 236016
References
1. Antsiferov, N.P. (1922), Dusha Peterburga [The Soul of Petersburg], Brokgauz-Efron, Petrograd, Russia.
2. Bourdieu, P. (2001), Practical meaning, Aleteiya, Institut experimental’noi sotsiologii, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Russia.
3. Cohen, E. (1985), “The tourist guide: The origins, structure and dynamics of a role”, Annals of tourism research, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 5–29, DOI: 10.1016/0160-7383(85)90037-4.
4. Emelyanov, B.V. (2007), Ekskursovedenie [Guided tours], Soviet sport, Moscow, Russia.
5. Holloway, J.C. (1981), “The guided tour a sociological approach”, Annals of tourism research, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 377–402, DOI: 10.1016/0160-7383(81)90005-0.
6. Kozhanov, K.A. (2019), “Modern functions of urban excursion: a culturological aspect”, Yaroslavl Pedagogical Bulletin, no. 3. pp. 204–209, DOI: 10.24411/1813-145X2019-10436.
7. Kozhanov, K.A. (2021), “Сontent aspects of a modern St. Petersburg city tour”, Vestnik of Saint-Petersburg State University of Culture, no. 1 (46). pp. 54–59, DOI: 10.30725/2619-0303-2021-1-54-59.
8. Lukina, O.V. (2019), “On national and professional standards in excursion activities”, Current state and potential of tourism development in Russia. Proceedings of the XVI International Scientific and Practical Conference, Omsk. gos. tekhnichesrii universitet, Omsk, Russia, pp. 3–9.
9. Salazar, N.B. (2014), “Culture broker, tourism”, Encyclopedia of Tourism, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland, pp. 1–2, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-01384-8_499.
10. Toshchenko, Zh.T. (2019), “Evolution of the meanings of life of the Russian intelligentsia (retrospective analysis)”, The fate of the Russian intelligentsia. Past, present, future, RSUH, Moscow, Russia, pp. 14–23.
11. Toshchenko, Zh.T. (2023), “Social contract. Historical and contemporary realities in Soviet/Russian society”, Economic and Social Changes: Facts, Trends, Forecast, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 39–53, DOI: 10.15838/esc.2023.3.87.2.
12. Zhigunova, G.V. and Sharova, E.N. (2021), “The need for personnel in the tourism industry (based on the materials of an expert survey)”, Society: Sociology, Psychology, Pedagogics, no. 12 (92), pp. 33–39. DOI: 10.24158/spp.2021.12.4.
Review
For citations:
Beletskaya T.V. Social status of the tour guide as a cultural brocker in the transmission of symbolic meanings. RSUH/RGGU BULLETIN. Series Philosophy. Social Studies. Art Studies. 2024;(3):77-90. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6401-2024-3-77-90