Winner of the annually Icelandic Tourism Research Centre's Dissertation Award

22.04.2014

 

The Icelandic Tourism Research Centre in cooperation with The Icelandic Tourist Industry Association annually awards 100.000 ISK in recognition of an outstanding dissertation on tourism produced by a student of an Icelandic University.

 

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Five dissertations were nominated for the annually Icelandic Tourism Research Centre's Dissertation Award for 2013.

Author

Title

University

Supervisor

Degree

Ingibjörg Rósa Auðunsdóttir

Minjagripaverslun á Íslandi. Er kynbundinn munur á kauphegðun ferðafólks?

Hólar University College

Guðrún Helgadóttir

BA

Íris Hrund Halldórsdóttir

Tengslanet og frumkvöðlar í ferðaþjónustu í tveimur sjávarplássum á Vestfjörðum.

University of Iceland

Katrín Anna Lund & Karl Benediktsson

MS

Katrín Magnúsdóttir

Gestrisni eða gestanauð? Stefnumótun og þolmörk heimamanna

Hólar University College

Bergþóra Aradóttir

BA

Paavo Olavi Sonninen

Tour Guide Competencies and Training Needs. Focus on the tour guides of Arctic Adventures

University of Iceland

Árný Elíasdóttir & Gylfi Dalmann Aðalsteinsson

MS

Júlíus Fossdal

Millilandaflug til Akureyrar og áhrif á rekstur hótela og gistiheimila

University of Akureyri

Edward H. Huijbens

BS

The award for 2013 went to Paavo Olavi Sonninen who wrote the dissertation Tour Guide Competencies and Training Needs. Focus on the tour guides of Arctic Adventures. The award was given at the annual meeting of The Icelandic Tourist Industry Association on April 10th 2014 at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavík.

Sonninen’s aim was to evaluate the need for better training of the guides working for Arctic Adventures and if changes in the legislation in the future would create the need for training at the company.

Paavo’s results showed a high degree of competence among the tour guides, however there is a need for increased knowledge and skills in certain areas, such as first aid, the ability to work independently and linguistic skills. The tour guides also lacked general knowledge about tourism in Iceland, environmental issues and how to communicate with customers.

Paavo also points out that the need for further education in the tourism sector is increasing. There is a need for cooperation within the industry and increased communication between government and tour operators. The current criteria in the legislation regarding tourism are not suitable and lack depth according to Paavo.

The panel considers this project to be an important post in the debate about professionalism and safety in Icelandic tourism. Both factors are in need for a solid educative ground to coordinate quality and content. Such coordination should come from the legislators. If the requirements towards the people who service tourists in Iceland in legislations regarding tour operators are defined, it will be easier to define which skills and criteria should be the focus points in the broader education of the industry. Therefore there is a need for cooperation between the government and the tourism industry to strengthen the educational environment and professionalize the industry.

Paavo’s dissertation is very thorough and well structured. The theoretical focus is made conscientiously, with ambition and professionalism and the analysis of the research data is of high quality. His work should be an example for others to follow and he is a worthy holder of the Icelandic Tourism Research Centre Dissertation Award for 2013.

The thesis can be accessed here:

http://skemman.is/stream/get/1946/16486/38522/1/Paavo_Olavi_MS_thesis.pdf

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