The Effect of Tourist Guides' Storytelling Performances on Tour Satisfaction: An Application on Tourists Visiting the Ancient City of Ephesus

Authors : Engin Aytekin, Abdurrahman Türkoğlu, Merve Cankurtaran, Azime Bilge

Pages : 808-826

Doi:10.53353/atrss.1660986

View : 66 | Download : 109

Publication Date : 2025-07-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Storytelling can be employed as an effective method to increase tour satisfaction with its emotional interaction and imagination-stimulating features. For visitors, the destination can become more understandable and memorable. One of the fundamental phenomena in the tourism industry is the tour satisfaction experienced by the guests. The study aims to reveal the effect of the storytelling performance of tour guides on tour satisfaction. It was implemented in the Ephesus Ancient City in the Selçuk district of İzmir Province, Türkiye. 25 local tourists were interviewed. The data were subjected to content analysis. Open and latent content coding was applied and five main themes-subthemes were created. According to the results, storytelling performance positively affects tour satisfaction experienced by tourists. It was concluded that storytelling plays a critical role regarding the attractiveness of the destination and that the gestures and facial expressions used during the narration increase the memorability of the stories. It is advised that guides should pay special attention to this skill and the theoretical courses that candidates may require in the sector should be reviewed in the curriculum of universities.
Keywords : Turist Rehberliği, Hikâye, Hikâye Anlatıcılığı, Tur Memnuniyeti, Efes Antik Kenti

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