Final Case Study Synopsis

            1. Introduction
Tourism is defined as the business of providing tourists travel-related services such as accommodation, transport, touring packages services and entertainment (Cambridge English Dictionary, n.d., World Trade Organization, n.d.). Focusing on the touring sector, tour guides are the front-line employees who bridge the host country and its tourists (Ap & Wong, 2001). The touchpoints a tour agency has with its tourists is through the Dreaming, Planning, Booking, Experiencing and Sharing stages (SiteMinder, n.d.). However, the only physical touchpoint is through the Experiencing stage where the tourists will be physically present to experience the tour guide’s service and other value-added services. As such, tour guides are responsible for providing tourists with quality service and the delivery of it is essential to both the success of their tour agency and the host country they represent.

1.1 Workplace Context

Vietnam, one of the fastest developing tourist destinations worldwide, was named as “Asia’s Leading Destination” at the 2018 World Travel Awards (Das, 2019). It aims to draw in 103 million visitors in 2019 and generate US$45 billion by 2025 from tourism revenue (Das, 2019). With the ever-growing touring sector, the country now offers a variety of tours such as adventure tours, sea-based tours, eco-tours, and historical tours (Das, 2019). However, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has acknowledged that stricter criteria on the issuance of tour guide licenses are required to improve the standards of Vietnamese touring industry (Viet Nam News, 2017). The current tour guide standards and qualifications have been found to be unable to meet international tourists’ demands and expectations (Viet Nam News, 2017). Also, there have been reportedly close to 400 cases of falsifying qualifications to obtain their tour guide licenses (Viet Nam News, 2017). More information on how each of the five elements - service, place, product, process and personnel - communicate can be found in Appendix A.

Today, the tourism industry focuses more on the experience instead of just service delivered (PhocusWire, 2018). In this context, the tour guide’s knowledge of the host country’s culture and attractions, and their service and communication skills have the power to transform the tour services into a meaningful experience (Ap & Wong, 2001). This paper thus explores the ideals and service gaps of a tour and proposes recommendations for tour agencies and human resources.

            1.2 Thematic focus

The main theme explored in this paper is the tourism industry and how service gaps in tour delivery can affect tourists’ satisfaction. The hospitality and tourism industry is regarded as a challenging industry to survive in (Caan, n.d.). It is thus important for tour guides to possess a certain standard of service quality as they can affect the tour agency’s business and present a bad image to the host country.

2. Problem Identification

2.1 Service Gap

Tour guides play a vital role in a tourist experience as they are ambassadors of the country (Rang, 2009).  However, according to a study done by Ap and Wong (2001), the majority of the tour guides working in countries like Hong Kong do not receive training courses. This results in inconsistent levels of professionalism, poor image of the profession and absence in monitoring tour guide performances (Prakash, Chowdhary & Sunayana, 2010).

Using a team member’s real-life incident as a case study, we have identified three areas of service gap. The areas, in particular, are the poor standard of communication, inadequate product knowledge and unprofessional behaviour. Refer to Appendix B for further details.

2.2 Service Goal

On the other hand, visitors expect their safety and health to be prioritized while wanting to have an enjoyable and memorable travel experience (Prakash, Chowdhary & Sunayana, 2010). Tourists also expect guides to be able to provide excellent service standards that meet the expectations of the visitor amongst other things to manage like the itinerary, group and logistical aspects (Cohen, 1985: Pond, 1993). These are some of the bare minimum required of tour guides.

2.3 Service Ideals

An ideal tour guide is one that goes above and beyond goals or expectations. They are not restricted by a certain standard but strive to excel and go above and beyond what is expected of them. With the rise of the experience economy, demand for stories has increased in recent years in the context of the tourism industry (Bryon, 2012). Storytelling is a great alternative as it uses experiential techniques that draw the attention of tourists. Other aspects of impressive service include comprehensive knowledge and a strong grasp of subject matter (Hettiarachchi, 2011).

The focus on closing the gap between service goals and ideals would be to improve on communication skills including grammar, the manner of speech and choice of words selected. Non-verbal behaviours are also a key area to look into as it affects the way tourists perceive approachability and friendliness (Sulaiman, Sirakaya-Turk & Altintas, 2016). Other areas of focus would be having good product knowledge and attitude in terms of respect, willingness to help and service (Ap & Wong, 2001).

3. Purpose statement

This paper will specifically look into the service delivery of tour guides in Vietnam and how it can be improved to meet and surpass tourists’ expectations. The objective is to suggest methods that can help tour guides have the proper training to deliver quality service before giving tours. Therefore, this paper will be making recommendations to the VNAT to ensure that hiring processes are improved, and tour guides are adequately trained and qualified before conducting tours.

4. Implementation of Potential Solution

4.1 Training Tour Guides in Storytelling Skills

Storytelling is highly valued in the Experience Economy as it will not only brighten up boring historical facts but gets the tourist engaged too (Steeves, 2018). According to National Storytelling Association of the United States, “Storytelling is the art of using language, vocalisation, and/or physical movement and gestures to reveal the elements and images of a story to a specific, live audience” (McWilliams, 1997s).

For tour guides to implement storytelling, they have to be trained. The team has created an acronym, ‘MSASP - Making use of Storytelling to Advance Skills & Professionalism’, with each alphabet representing each step in creating a story (Appendix C). By using storytelling, it will help tour guides to interpret unique cultural, social, historical and natural landscapes, connect tourists with new people places, sustain attention and keep tourists engaged to create memorable and extraordinary experiences.

4.2 Leveraging Human Resources (HR) to Hire Qualified Tour Guides

Implementing appropriate HR practices will result in the more appropriate and professional tour guide role and skills, and are linked to the success of delivering quality service (Schuler and Jackson, 1987). Well qualified and knowledgeable tour guides can make the guided tour extremely intriguing and provide tourists with a memorable experience (Wilson, 2008). A qualified tour guide will deliver a quality service and thus, selecting tour guides with the right qualifications, attitude and behaviour are crucial (Redman & Mattews, 1998).

HR has to screen for the most suitable candidate based on the core competencies of knowledge, guest service orientation, personal and professional style and communication skills (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2000). The tour guide must also be fluent in conversing in the local language, or the language in which he or she is required to deliver in. They must be certified in that particular language to ensure that they can communicate with clarity and confidence. This is an important criterion for HR to consider to prevent language barrier between tourists and the tour guide.

HR also plays an integral part in recruiting and training potential tour guides so that they provide adequate knowledge and information to tourists. Tour guides are one of the main determinants of successful tour experience, and hence the quality of service provided is of extreme significance.

5. Benefits

The above-proposed solutions are aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. By highlighting the importance of good customer service, this results in various beneficial outcomes in the workplace.

5.1 Increase in Customer Loyalty

Customers are willing to pay more when they see the value in the brand name (Investopedia, 2018). This is because customer service can be associated with a branding tool (Vickery, 2017). Therefore, when good customer service is provided, customers feel valued and are likely to return or spread the word about the business which results in more profits for the company.        

5.2 Better Impression of the Country

As tour guides are ambassadors of the country, bad customer service will leave a bad impression of the locals. This channel of interaction allows tourist to communicate and observe how the natives are like in terms of culture and character. Therefore, with good customer service given, it provides a better impression of the destination in terms of hospitality (Rabotić, 2011). This would create a more inviting environment for tourist to remember the country by.

6. Research methods

The research methodology in this study includes secondary data from reports, journal articles books and other online sources to substantiate the team’s findings.

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, this synopsis has addressed the on-going concerns relating to Vietnam’s tour professionals, and the team has suggested recommendations to counter the service delivery gap tourists have faced. By proposing the above-mentioned approaches, the team hopes that the service standards for Vietnam’s tour professionals could be raised to cater to the increasing demand of its tourism industry.

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9. Appendices

Appendix A: How the Five Elements of the Tour Experience Communicate

Element	How it Communicates
Service	The perceived service quality of a tour guide can be evaluated through three major constructs: core service delivery, customer relationship management, and communication effectiveness (Heung,  2008). These vitally influences the tour experience and determines the level of customer satisfaction (Kuo, 2018).
Place	The destination communicates the type of on-site experience tourists can expect and take away. Some popular attractions to visit in Vietnam include nature, cultural and heritage sites such as the Ha Long Bay and Hoi An Ancient Town (Hotels.com, n.d.). By participating in the physical environment, the tourists go beyond merely observing to internalise and emotionally connect with their surroundings (Ittelson, 1981).
Product	The physical product represents the destination and the stimuli, adventures and experiences it offers. Tangible products include recreational and entertainment facilities and amenities like gastronomy, accommodation, technology, transportation etc. A competitive tour offering focuses on augmenting the psychological product which consists of exceptional hospitality built on emotional engagement and consistently exceeding tourists’ expectations (Stasiak, 2013).
Process	Tourists go through the following stages of a tour: orientation, attachment, visiting, evaluation, storing, reflection and enrichment (Aho, 2001). Coelho et al., 2018, also adds that ambience, socialisation and emotion and reflection constitute the core processes of a meaningful tour experience.
Personnel - Tour Guides	Tour guides have evolved from the roles of a presenter and entertainer (Weiler & Black, 2015) to a creative and interactive agent (Richards & Wilson, 2006) who co-creates tourist spaces. They are responsible for making tour experiences entertaining, memorable, interactive and personalised (Ek et al., 2008).
Personnel - Tourists	Modern day tourists have evolved from a passive observer to an active participant. It is essential that they can interactively influence the course of the action by co-creating their experience (Stasiak, 2013). They are more informed, consumeristic, tech-savvy, independent, mobile, flexible and demands more efficient and ever-personalised tour services (Yeoman, 2012).
Personnel - Tour Agency	Currently, Vietnam has 800 tour operators and travel agencies that are licensed to deal with international travel (Travel & Tourism, 2019). Some popular tour operators in Vietnam include Exo Travel Vietnam and Vietravel. A typical Vietnamese tour package would include accommodation, transport, entertainment, meals and attractions visitation.
Personnel - Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)	VNAT is the national tourism board of Vietnam which manages tourist operations and activities throughout the country. It is in charge of business development, personnel training, research, and implementation of policies and regulations in the tourism sector.

Appendix B: Real-life Case Study of Disappointing Tour Service

No.	Gap	Explanation
1.	Poor Standard of Communication	Hannah had patronized a supposed famous tour agency in Vietnam that had guaranteed an English-speaking tour guide. However, on the day itself, the tour guide appeared to be an amateur in English. Hannah found it difficult to understand the information that was being told.
2.	Inadequate Product Knowledge	The tour guide had poor product knowledge as he did not share with the tourist the history or story behind artefacts or significant landmarks but rather stating the obvious points. This involved many unnecessary commentaries given.
3.	Unprofessional Behaviour	The tour included a bike trek trail segment but during the activity, the tour guide gave little information about what was to be done or where they were heading. This exemplifies his poor customer service as he also did not bother to keep at the same pace as all the tourist and Hannah was even left behind a few times. When he set the meeting time to gather back during the free and easy, he would rush tourist up the bus although the time set has not been passed yet. The tour guide would also mention that they are already late when they are early.

Appendix C: Detailed Elaboration of MSASP

Steps	MSASP	Elaboration
1	Main Message	Identify the ‘Main Message’ they want to put across to the tourists Filter unnecessary information from the whole storyline Provide a clear gist of the story
2	Story Structure	Constitute character, conflict and plot Main character: to portray a series of events one goes through Helps tourist to relate to the main character’s story to experience and be drawn to the storyline Conflict to drive tension and captivate the tourists’ attention and curiosity. A plot is a series of events that integrate the character from start to end and conflict at the peak of the storyline.
3	Audience	The tour guide has to recognise the type of tourist and understand their needs and interests. The story has to be relevant to each type of tourist. When the tourists can relate to the characters in the story, they will be more interested.
4	Senses	Engaging the ‘Senses’ through visual and sensory language to immerse tourists into the story setting.
5	Practice	Practice is essential to create successful storytelling. This can be done by practising over and over again until they are comfortable.