A Historical Review of Illegal Tour Guiding in Turkey

The tour guiding profession was much abused in the past while illegal guiding took place, and remains much the same nowadays. With the use of official documents, this paper outlines issues concerning illegal tour guiding from the past to the present. Document analysis as a qualitative research method was applied in this study. Archival research was carried out, and unpublished documents were analysed to contribute to the literature and shed light on the roots of illegal tour guiding. Archival data was combined with travel guidebooks, official reports, and court files. Despite regulations, problems concerning tour guiding continue to exist to the present day. More than ever before, illegal tour guides employed by travel agencies have become a threat to the employment of licenced guides. The number of illegal tour guides proves that current measures remain incapable of prohibiting illegal guiding activities. Touting seems to be the longstanding main motivation for illegal guides. Unethical guiding practices affect the established image of the destination country. From a historical perspective and underlining issues such as touting through unpublished archived documents and official reports, this paper contributes a detailed understanding of the defective points concerning the travel industry.