Interpretive guiding as balancing act : the perceptions of interpretive guides in promoting protection, learning and enjoyment in Jasper National Park

Abstract

National Parks provide many different services; they are places for enjoyment and education as well as conservation and protection of the environment within its boundaries. The Canadian Rocky Mountain Park is a huge area made up of four national parks. These parks are known for their geological and ecological importance and are the most visited national parks in Canada. Encouraging visitation and protecting the parks’ nature is an ongoing balancing act. The Parks Canada mandate emphasize creating awareness and protection of ecological integrity, but when it comes to interpretation and guiding there is no holistic approach for how this should be done. The purpose of this research is to understand how individual guides that operate within Jasper National Park in Canada perceive their roles and expectations by employers and park visitors. The methods used to determine this aim were a series of interviews done of interpretive guides working in Jasper National Park. Jasper National Park was used as the study area for this project, guides that worked for private tour companies, as well as guides employed through Parks Canada, were interviewed about their roles and perceptions as interpretive guides. Findings of this study show that guides perceive their roles as facilitators of experiences by creating awareness and a sense of attachment to a place is an important part of their work. However, how guides choose to be stewards and how they present themselves in this role to their guests varies greatly among them. The results showed that guides do see their roles as facilitators of information and providing meaningful and entertaining experiences for their guests. However, there is no holistic approach to how these experiences are done. These results can act as a guideline to help create a more holistic approach to how interpretation can be done by users of national parks.