Emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction of tour guides in rural areas

The purpose of this study was to determinate the job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion of tour guides in rural areas and to show how these two concepts are related to each other. A total of 102 tour guides, who lead tours or have experience in leading tours in rural areas took part in the questionnaire and the results were given and processed in SPSS version 17. Tour guides have a great importance in interpretation of rural areas as well as a significant role in presenting local customs and products in rural tourism. Exploring their satisfaction but also emotional exhaustion is of paramount importance for maintaining their excellence in interpretation of these areas. The results indicate that job satisfaction is still not on satisfying level, while emotional exhaustion is under acceptable limits. The results also showed that there is a negative connection between these two concepts. The obtained data should be beneficial not only to tour-operators but also to other tourism-related companies dealing with FDA (Front Desk Activities) and employees in rural tourism: the data about job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion of tour guides can be used in developing management and work motivation strategies. The profound insight in job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion is important in order to achieve business excellence of tour guides in rural areas.