Specialization in Tour Guiding for Hearing-Impaired Tourists: A Proposed Conceptual Model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/jotags.2026.1936Anahtar Kelimeler:
Tour guiding- Professional specialization- Accessibility- Hearing-impaired tourists- Competency modelÖz
Today, the disabled tourist market constitutes a significant percentage of global tourism. While hearing-impaired individuals find physical travel easier than other disability groups, they often experience severe communication barriers. To investigate this phenomenon, this study employs a qualitative document analysis, systematically reviewing articles from Web of Science, Scopus, TRDizin, and Google Scholar to demonstrate a significant literature gap regarding tour guiding for the hearing-impaired. The article addresses the unique needs of these tourists and explores the concept of specialization in this area as a proposed field within the profession. Furthermore, to address the theoretical deficit identified in the literature, this study proposes a novel "Tripartite Competency Intersection Model." This conceptual framework posits that true specialization transcends mere language acquisition, emerging instead as a multidimensional synthesis of linguistic, socio-cultural, and technological competencies. The article concludes with practical recommendations for destination managers, tourism businesses, TUREB, professional associations, and tourism academia to enhance the participation of hearing-impaired individuals in tourism.
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