Managing Risk Through Trust: Tour Guides in Travel Disruptions

Opening Context While tourists often travel to explore new places and experience a sense of adventure, travel disruptions can create real and perceived risks due to uncertainty, ambiguity, and gaps in knowledge. An established mechanism for reducing risk is the tour guide (TG), who acts as an intermediary representing the interests of the tourist, the tourism organisation, and the host community during disruptions. From the visitor perspective, the TG also serves as an intercultural mediator, and through frequent interactions, tourists can develop trust in them. This research, undertaken as part of the Horizon Europe-funded REMODEL Project, led by Bursa Uludağ University (BUU) in Türkiye, in partnership with the University of León (ULE) in Spain and Atlantic Technological University (ATU), proposes a conceptual model identifying the key indicators of trustworthiness that shape tourists’ overall trust in a tour guide during crises. Research Overview Previous studies suggest that trust implies a willingness to be vulnerable to the actions of another, or to rely on another party based on positive expectations. The inclusion of positive expectations is important, as it reflects the belief that the tour guide (TG) is motivated to meet the expectations of the tourist and act in a trustworthy manner. As tourists’ trust in a TG reflects perceptions of trustworthiness, this Horizon Europe-supported research, published as a book chapter in Travel Disruptions: Impacts, Responses and Resilience (Routledge, 2025), and building on findings presented in Current Issues in Tourism (2025) and the Journal of Sustainable Tourism (2023), explores how key indicators such as ability, perceived competence, promise fulfilment, benevolence and integrity, influence both cognitive and affective trust in a TG. Key Insights / Findings This research highlights that trust is not solely driven by rational factors; the tour guide (TG)–tourist relationship is fundamentally shaped by both cognitive and affective indicators of trustworthiness. As trust is a psychological perception, tourists must both see and feel that the risks posed by disruptions are understood by the TG, and that the TG empathises with them. The ability of the TG, specifically their skills, competencies, and willingness to complete tasks, is identified as a key determinant of trustworthiness, as it underpins cognition-based trust. In addition, the perceived competence of the TG informs affective trust, shaped by role, rule and category-based expectations. The formal position and perceived authority of the TG, supported by visible cues such as uniforms, reinforce their role as credible third-party proxies of trust, drawing on tourists’ predisposition towards presumptive trust in others. Why It Matters (Impact & Relevance) Travel disruptions inherently create uncertainty and present risks, often due to a lack of tacit knowledge, which can place tourists in a crisis management position. This research examines the role of tour guides (TGs) as brokers of influence, highlighting how the physical and psychological strain of disruptions can be reduced through the development of trust in the TG–tourist relationship. Drawing on insights from tourism, psychology, and crisis management, the research explores how trust shapes the management of disruptions and its broader implications within a tourism context. In crisis situations, it is not enough for tourists to simply see that their TG is competent; they must also feel it. Affective trust, grounded in benevolence, must be supported by perceptions of integrity, where tourists sense a shared moral understanding with their TG. Wider Context / Application / Next Steps This research, undertaken through the recently completed REMODEL Horizon Europe project, emphasises the importance of formalised training for tour guides (TGs) when assisting tourists during travel crises. Such training should extend beyond ability-based skills to foster social capital grounded in empathy and a commitment to protecting the tourist, reflecting the wider collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the project itself. Further research is needed to better understand the extent to which these indicators influence trust development. Future studies could examine the relative importance of each indicator across different types of travel disruptions and the operational constraints faced by TGs. The research also recognises that perceptions of risk, trust and crisis are highly personal and may be shaped by demographic and psychographic factors. Additional work could explore how trust develops differently among diverse groups of tourists and TGs during travel disruptions.