TY - JOUR
T1 - Tour guides as climate change agents
T2 - Conceptualizing meaningful work through agency theory in precarious employment
AU - Doan, Tin
AU - Ta, Luong
AU - Cao, Trong-Hop
AU - Nguyen, Mai
AU - Baum, Tom
PY - 2026/1/1
Y1 - 2026/1/1
N2 - This paper addresses the mediating role of tour guides in educating tourists in climate sensitive regions. This role can be crucial in educating tourists about climate change and promoting environmentally responsible behaviour. However, tour guides frequently work under precarious employment conditions, such as freelancers, casual workers, or task-based labourers, which offer limited job security, benefits, or formal employment rights. Climate sensitivity offers opportunity to add meaning to work that tour guides undertake. Employing agency theory, this study addresses the gap in understanding how tour guides find meaning in their work as climate change advocates through indepth interviews with 43 casual-work tour guides. Findings reveal tour guides in climate-sensitive regions find significant meaning in their work as climate change advocates.
AB - This paper addresses the mediating role of tour guides in educating tourists in climate sensitive regions. This role can be crucial in educating tourists about climate change and promoting environmentally responsible behaviour. However, tour guides frequently work under precarious employment conditions, such as freelancers, casual workers, or task-based labourers, which offer limited job security, benefits, or formal employment rights. Climate sensitivity offers opportunity to add meaning to work that tour guides undertake. Employing agency theory, this study addresses the gap in understanding how tour guides find meaning in their work as climate change advocates through indepth interviews with 43 casual-work tour guides. Findings reveal tour guides in climate-sensitive regions find significant meaning in their work as climate change advocates.
KW - Agency theory
KW - Climate change
KW - Mekong Delta
KW - Precarious employment
KW - Tour guides
KW - Vietnam
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024914216
U2 - 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104101
DO - 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104101
M3 - Article
SN - 0160-7383
VL - 116
JO - Annals of Tourism Research
JF - Annals of Tourism Research
M1 - 104101
ER -