Abstract
Tour guides play a critical role in influencing visitor experiences and organisational success. The experiences of tour guides themselves however are less understood, particularly with regards to how these experiences impact on guides' well-being. Adventure tour guiding unfolds in a unique context reported to involve both high levels of emotional labour and job satisfaction. This study explored key factors that determine adventure guides' psychological well-being in this unique work context. In-depth qualitative interviews with air, land, and water-based guides identified primary, secondary, and tertiary psychological well-being determinants. Based on these findings, a conceptual model of adventure guide well-being is proposed to inform future research and practices for fostering guide well-being.
•Tour guide research focuses on ill-being (e.g., emotional labour) more than well-being.•Positive Tourism shifts focus beyond mitigating ill-being to fostering well-being.•Primary, secondary, tertiary adventure guide well-being determinants are identified.•A conceptual model of adventure guide psychological well-being is proposed.•Strategies to enhance adventure guide well-being and future research are discussed.