Guiding on Thinning Ice: A Qualitative Approach to Polar Tour Guides’ Motivations, Goals, Guiding Behaviour and Agency Perception.

Hörl, Hannah (2025) Guiding on Thinning Ice: A Qualitative Approach to Polar Tour Guides’ Motivations, Goals, Guiding Behaviour and Agency Perception. Research Master thesis, Research Master.

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Abstract

Tourism in the (Ant-)Arctic regions has become increasingly popular and the demand is steadily growing. Driven by the desire to witness fragile environments before their disappearance, tourists are attracted by romanticised images of the polar wilderness seeking to experience these regions first-hand. The presence of tourists in the polar regions is accompanied by placing additional strains on these climate change threatened ecosystems. Previous research examined whether tourists might balance their negative impact by turning into polar ambassadors, advocating and caring for the polar regions upon their return home. This study challenged the assumption that ambassadorship arises through mere exposure by examining whether polar tour guides actively foster environmental awareness and pro- environmental behaviour among tourists. To this end, this qualitative study addressed guides’ motivation to enter the industry, their guiding goals, behaviours and experience of agency. The findings indicated that most PTGs did not enter the industry with environmental motivations but developed education and conservation-oriented guiding goals as they started guiding. However, enacting these goals within their guiding behaviour was hindered by role overload and limited structural support resulting in limited self- and outcome efficacy. These constraints led to cognitive dissonance, concern about the industry’s sustainability trajectory and pushed guides to question their continued involvement in polar guiding. The findings underscored that PTGs can be understood as ambassadors themselves, but their impact on tourists depends on structural changes that enable and support their efforts. Empowering guides is therefore essential for transforming tourists into ambassadors and advancing the sustainability of polar tourism.

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Master)
Supervisor name:	Valkengoed, A.M. van
Degree programme:	Research Master
Differentiation route:	Understanding Societal Change [Research Master]
Date Deposited:	29 Jul 2025 08:52
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2025 08:52
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5751

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