Influence of Tour Guides Communication Skills on the Satisfaction of International Tourists at Nairobi Tourist Circuit, Kenya

Abstract

The study assessed the influence of tour guides' communication skills on international tourists' satisfaction at the Nairobi tourist circuit, Kenya. The job characteristics theory supported the study. The study adopted a descriptive research design and used the Cochran formula to obtain the study's sample size of 278 respondents from the target population of 2851 international tourists visiting the Nairobi circuit. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. The research instrument's content and face validity were enhanced by conducting a detailed literature review and consultation with subject experts in the tourism sector. Further instrument reliability was determined by carrying out a pilot study in the Central Kenya Circuit. The Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient was computed from the obtained data to measure the instruments' internal consistency, where an Alpha coefficient of 0.8111 was obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings illustrated that tour guide communication skills had a strong statistically significant relation with international tourist satisfaction at the Nairobi tourist circuit. In conclusion, tour guide communication skills influence the satisfaction of international tourists. The recommendation of the study was that tour guides need to be fluent in communicating in many languages. This would help serve different tourists effectively; thus, the tourists would be satisfied with the service delivery.