Open AccessApplication of the AHP and WSM for Tour Guide Selection: A Case Study of a Travel Company in Vietnam
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This study aims to develop a systematic framework for selecting tour guides at a Vietnamese travel company by integrating both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Expert consultation was initially conducted to identify key criteria essential for tour guide performance. A structured interview process was then employed, collecting data through pairwise comparisons of these criteria. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was subsequently utilized to determine the relative weight (Wj) assigned to each criterion. Evaluation data for three candidates was gathered based on their performance against these criteria. The weighted sum model (WSM) was applied to prioritize the candidates for selection, resulting in the identification of Candidate A2, who achieved the highest WSM score (A2WSM = 8.5800). The findings further revealed that communication skills (W5 = 0.4474), problem-solving abilities (W3 = 0.2529), and professional expertise (W4 = 0.1543) were considered the most important attributes, with communication skills significantly outweighing the other competencies. This highlights the critical importance of communication as a core competency for tour guides. The proposed framework offers a robust and objective method for tour guide selection, ensuring that key competencies are appropriately prioritized, which can serve as a valuable model for similar applications within the tourism industry.
1. Introduction
Tourism is known as a smokeless industry, bringing a lot of benefits to each country. Many countries have become rich because of their tourism development strategies. Vietnam is a dynamic country, which is integrating and developing deeply in the Southeast Asian region. Every year, this place welcomes millions of domestic and international visitors. The direct contribution rate of the tourism industry to Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the period 2015-2019 is relatively high, which is specifically 6.3% in 2015, 6.9% in 2016, 7.9% in 2017, 8.3% in 2018, and 9.2% in 2019. In addition, this rate has increased steadily, which is an opportunity for Vietnam to develop tourism, and this can be considered a development direction in the future (Pham et al., 2023). To meet this demand, it is clear that businesses and tourism companies in Vietnam must be ready to meet all requirements, of which the most notable is the team of tour guides.
Currently, there are many universities and colleges in Vietnam that train tour guides. Due to the quite abundant labor force in this field, clearly businesses and tourism companies have many choices to recruit staff. However, in reality, they are still quite confused in recruiting and selecting tour guides. After being trained, most tourism students do not have the opportunity or experience to work in real life. It is very difficult to choose a good tour guide among many graduates. This is a problem that experts and tourism business managers are concerned about, which needs a proper approach.
AHP is a multi-criteria decision-making method that uses pairwise comparison matrices filled in by decision makers using linguistic scales, allowing factors/variables to be weighted according to their importance (Shameem et al., 2018). The WSM is a multi-criteria decision analysis, also known as a weighted linear combination, which has been used for many different applications and is often used in one-dimensional problems (Pertiwi et al., 2021).
In the actual context of a travel company in Vietnam, it is in need of selecting a long-term tour guide from three candidates that the company has previously signed a probationary contract with. This study uses a combination of the AHP method and WSM. The AHP method was used to determine the weights of the criteria of a tour guide. Then the WSM was used to prioritize the candidates. This study is a concrete illustration of research at a travel agency in Vietnam.
2. Literature Review
Some studies have used the WSM, AHP or a combination of both for different purposes. Pertiwi et al. (2021) determined the best workshop manager by combining AHP and WSM methods. The AHP method was used to find out the criteria for selecting workshop managers and the WSM method was used to find out the final result of selecting the best workshop manager. Amin & Dwitayanti (2022) selected the best academic manager by using WSM. The results of this study show that the WSM method is quite reliable in selecting academic management personnel in universities. Hernando et al. (2023) proposed a method to support decision-making in fish breed selection based on the WSM. The study helped fish farmers to be more informed and correct in choosing fish breeds that suit their needs. Ameriza et al. (2023) applied WSM model to select the best firefighter, in this study WSM model was used as a decision support tool to select the best member of Lubuk Basung Fire Department, with multi-criteria weighted evaluation process and selection in a faster, more comprehensive and more efficient way, based on the computational process. Dorado et al. (2014) applied AHP to software selection for engineering education and identified a number of educational criteria and options that were considered by engineering instructors. AHP was used to find the most optimal software to serve the students’ learning. Kim (2008) estimated the optimal area for expanding the construction area by combining AHP and WSM. Their mathematical combination was applied to the experimental area, Suwon City, Seoul. The research results show that the optimal weight value from WSM-AHP is more reasonable than the general assessment of experts in terms of feelings when determining the construction area space.
Some other studies compare the use of AHP and WSM with other methods or compare their combination with other pairs of methods. Chourabi et al. (2019) used AHP, WSM and weighted product model (WPM) methods for workforce selection. Based on three criteria, each worker was evaluated in each work activity performed. The experimental results show the same decision with the same classification of workers from the most optimal to the least optimal option. Jadhav & Sonar (2009) compared the combination of AHP and WSM methods with the sole use of the hybrid knowledge-based system (HKBS) method for software selection. The results show that the use of the HKBS method for selecting software packages is relatively more effective than AHP and WSM in several aspects, such as computational efficiency, flexibility in problem-solving, knowledge reuse and consistency.
Previous related studies are mostly overview studies of the skills required of a tour guide. Alshatnawi (2014) conducted an assessment of Jordanian tour guides on communication skills. The approach was a survey coupled with analysis based on data collection, processing and analysis. This study was mainly concerned with how German tourists rated the communication skills of Jordanian tour guides. It was found that Jordanian tour guides possess different levels of communication skills in their work. The study also recommended the need for regular, periodic training and development of tour guides’ communication skills and continuous improvement. Lin et al. (2017) examined the influence of a tour guide’s professional competence on service quality and tourist satisfaction. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of 345 tourists. The proposed conceptual framework was tested using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. The results show that a tour guide’s professional competence has a significant influence on service quality and tourist satisfaction. The study also proposed practical implications for the development of tour guides’ professional competence, thereby improving tour guide service quality and further satisfying tourists’ satisfaction in the future. El-Sharkawy (2007) discovered the knowledge and skills required for a tour guide by conducting research in Egypt. Quite comprehensive findings were found about the skills of a tour guide. The study shows the interactive relationship between the field of study and the professional knowledge and personal skills of the tour guide. It was found that characteristics of personal skills, such as responsibility and ethics towards guests, good organization and listening, are always highly appreciated. In addition, the study pointed out the importance of other characteristics of personal skills, such as flexibility and creativity plus a sense of humor, enthusiasm for work, and physical and emotional stability of tour guides.
Koroglu & Koroglu (2012) highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence skills of a tour guide and examined their impact on work performance. The study found that tour guides act as intermediaries between tourists and the surrounding experience environment; the success or failure of tourist experiences and tourists’ perceptions and evaluations of destinations are greatly influenced by tour guides. Tour guides with good emotional intelligence skills are always successful intermediaries between tourists and the experience environment. Good emotional intelligence skills help increase work efficiency and the level of job completion of a tour guide. Gültekin & Icigen (2019) mentioned emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills of tour guides as one of the important skills that a professional tour guide needs to have. With an online survey conducted to survey 300 professional tour guides working in Turkey, the statistical analysis results show that good emotional intelligence means good problem-solving skills. In addition, as the level of emotional intelligence increases, the frequency of encountering troublesome problems in management is reduced. The emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills of a tour guide can be more effective when they have experience in life. Ninpradith et al. (2019) examined the influence of tour guide competence and service quality on Chinese tourist satisfaction. With a sample of 400 Chinese tourists selected for the purpose of participating in guided tours in Bangkok, Thailand, the study found that tour guide competence and service quality have a strong influence on tourist satisfaction. In addition, the study also proposed tour guide standards that include many factors, such as knowledge of the tourism industry, professional skills, and ethics. Nyahunzvi & Njerekai (2013) studied the challenges faced by tour guides in Zimbabwe. With data collected through interviews conducted with multiple stakeholders, a multi-dimensional approach was adopted. The study found that there are many challenges faced by tour guides, including a lack of job security, unsatisfactory salaries, and low opportunities for personal development.
In addition, many studies are related to the training of tour guides. Weiler & Ham (2002) studied the training of tour guides in developing countries and explained the special role of tour guide training in developing countries amidst the trend of sustainable development. After examining the content and the context of the training programs and the rationale for selecting and developing the program content, including teaching methods, the evaluation at various levels of the training courses was analyzed. This provides the basis for the approach in developing, delivering and evaluating future tour guide training in developing countries. Prakash & Chowdhary (2010) evaluated the content of the tourist guide training program in India against the six-dimensional model proposed by Chowdhary & Prakash (2009). After calculating the weights given to various inputs, the researchers attempted to uncover the underlying assumptions about the role of a tourist guide and made recommendations regarding the content development of the tourist guide training program in India. Christie & Mason (2003) argued that good training would change not only the knowledge and skills but also the attitudes and behaviours. The researchers argued that quality tour guide training programs would change the way tour guides think and act.
This study approaches from another perspective by using the AHP method and the WSM to select tour guides. As one of the commonly used multi-criteria analysis methods (Stamenković & Vujičić, 2014), the AHP method was used to analyze complex decisions (Saracoglu, 2015). In decision theory, the WSM is a multi-criteria decision analysis method, which is the simplest and best-known method for evaluating a number of alternatives (Patel & Rana, 2018).
3. Methodology
To select tour guides, or, in other words, to determine the priority ranking of tour guides, the AHP method combined with the WSM was used in this study. The research implementation process includes four steps, as described in Figure 1.
According to Saaty & Vargas (1980), the basic steps of the AHP method are as follows:
Step 1: Identification of the problem to be decided and selection of the criteria.
Step 2: Establishment of the priority of the criteria by comparing each pair (scoring each criterion).
Step 3: Calculation of the score (weight) for each option.
Step 4: Final decision-making on the selection based on the results of this process.
In this study, the AHP method was only used up to Step 3, and the selection decision step was performed by the WSM. Step 1 of the AHP method was performed by reviewing the studies by Alshatnawi (2014), El-Sharkawy (2007), Gültekin & Icigen (2019), Koroglu & Koroglu (2012), Lin et al. (2017), and so on. Five skills of a tour guide often mentioned in previous studies were selected in this study, which include communication skills, professional skills, personal skills, emotional intelligence skills, and problem-solving skills.
The expert group consists of ten directors of ten travel companies in Vietnam. These experts are quite knowledgeable about the tourism industry in Vietnam. In addition, they are well-trained and have many years of experience in management, at the same time, they have also come into contact with many successful tour guides before.
Before conducting the focus group discussion, an email was sent to each expert, which requested they review the criteria preliminarily selected in this study along with an appointment for discussion. The discussion was only conducted when all experts satisfied the proposed time.
(a) Purpose: After reviewing the skills of a tour guide preliminarily selected in this study, the experts reached a consensus on the criteria selection to evaluate candidates through the focus group discussion and summarized the basic characteristics of each candidate (Table 1). A hierarchical model for selecting tour guides was proposed.
(b) The participants of the focus group include ten directors of ten travel companies in Vietnam, along with the research team.
(c) Time: The discussion was completed until all experts and the author group of this study agreed on the list of criteria for a tour guide and the hierarchy model.
Characteristics | |
Candidate 1 | Relatively good communication skills; very flexible and creative; quite enthusiastic, especially with solid knowledge and understanding of tourism and superior to the other two candidates. |
Candidate 2 | Good knowledge and understanding of tourism; quite flexible and creative in work; very good communication skills, which is superior to the other two candidates. |
Candidate 3 | Relatively good communication skills, and good professional knowledge of tourism; very enthusiastic at work; extremely good at solving arising problems, surpassing the other two candidates in this aspect. |
As for the five skills of a tour guide preliminarily selected in this study, the experts participating in the discussion agreed with them. During the discussion, the experts were particularly interested in communication skills, especially listening, speaking, and writing in English, with the justification that international tourists coming to Vietnam come from different countries and their language is mostly English. Therefore, communication skills are the issue that needs to be given the top priority.
Finally, the group of experts came to a consensus on the list of criteria (Table 2) and the hierarchical model for selecting tour guides (Figure 2).
Criteria | Research Sources | Description |
Communication skills | Alshatnawi (2014) | The ability to communicate specific information or ideas to tourists using messages such as text, and speech combined with facial expressions or body language. |
Professional skills | Lin et al. (2017) | Knowledge and understanding of tourism, history and culture of tour guides when guiding tour groups. |
Personal skills | El-Sharkawy (2007) | Enthusiasm, self-confidence, extroverted nature, easy-going nature, initiative, sense of humor, good health and charisma. |
Emotional intelligence skills | Koroglu & Koroglu (2012) | The ability to accurately perceive emotions, regulate one’s own emotions and recognize the emotions of tourists, thereby effectively managing relationships between individuals in the tour group. |
Problem-solving skills | Gültekin & Icigen (2019) | Problem-solving is the process of overcoming difficulties to achieve goals and requires creativity and flexibility, such as resolving conflicts between members of a tour group, resolving problems arising from weather, accidents, etc. |
During the interviews, a list of criteria for a tour guide that had been agreed upon through focus group discussions with experts was presented. Then data were collected by comparing the relative importance of each pair of criteria for a tour guide. The scale used in the paired comparison questionnaire is presented in Table 3.
Definition | Level | Explanation |
Equal importance | 1 | Criteria i and j are equally important. |
Moderate importance | 3 | Criterion i is less important than Criterion j. |
Important | 5 | Criterion i is more important than Criterion j. |
Very important | 7 | Criterion i is much more important than Criterion j, as clearly shown in specific cases. |
Extremely important | 9 | Criterion i is definitely more important than Criterion j. |
Intermediate value | 2, 4, 6, and 8 |
|
After prioritizing the criteria of a tour guide based on their feelings, the experts should compare the importance of each pair of criteria. Then the data were processed and a matrix was built to compare the criteria (Table 4). The underlying principle for data processing was to use the majority opinion of the experts when determining the more important criterion in each pairwise comparison. This majority consensus dictated whether the weighting should be placed to the left or right of the number 1 in the matrix.
The construction of the comparison matrix followed a systematic approach. If the evaluated weight for a given criterion was deemed to be to the left of 1 (indicating greater importance), that value was directly input into the matrix. Conversely, if the evaluated weight was to the right of 1, the reciprocal of that value was used. The completion also means that Step 2 of the AHP method was performed.
Criteria | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 |
C1 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/4 | 1/3 | 1/7 |
C2 | 2 | 1 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1/5 |
C3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1/2 |
C4 | 3 | 2 | 1/2 | 1 | 1/3 |
C5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
The weight of the criteria was calculated using Excel software, which is Step 3 of the AHP method. The calculation of the eigenvectors was performed for each comparison matrix individually. The values in each matrix were first summed by column, after which each element within a column was divided by the corresponding column sum. The resulting value replaced the original matrix element. The weight of each criterion (C1, C2, C3, ...Cn) is equal to the average of the values in each horizontal row. The result is a matrix of one column and n rows. The calculated value is only accepted when the consistency ratio (CR) ≤ 10% (0.1). If CR is greater than 10%, the expert comparison result must be checked again (Saaty, 2008). With consistency index (CI), CR can be calculated by the following Formula (1):
where, RI is the random consistency index (Table 5); CI= (λmax-n)/n-1; λmax is the eigenvalue of the matrix, with λmax= $\sum_{i=1}^n w_i \times \sum_{j=1}^n a_{i j}$.
n | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
RI | 0 | 0 | 0.58 | 0.9 | 1.12 | 1.24 | 1.32 | 1.41 | 1.45 | 1.49 |
The selection of a tour guide is based on not only the opinions of the company’s board of directors but also the opinions of tourists. The score collection form was sent directly to 120 tourists. The characteristics of each evaluation criterion were clearly explained to each tourist. All these 120 tourists were divided into three groups, with each group containing 40 tourists. The three groups went on tours under the guidance of Candidates 1, 2, and 3, respectively. At the same time, the score collection form was also sent to four company members, i.e., the director and the heads of the human resources, sales, and administration departments.
For each candidate, the average score from the 40 tourists was combined with the average score from the four company members, with a weighting ratio of 60:40 in favour of the tourist evaluations. This weighting scheme reflects the prioritization of tourist opinions in the selection process.
The ten-point Vietnamese GPA scale was utilized for the assessment. The following scale was applied: 9.0 - 10.0 for “excellent,” 8.5 - 8.9 for “good,” 8.0 - 8.4 for “fairly good,” 7.0 - 7.9 for “fair,” 6.5 - 6.9 for “average good,” 5.5 - 6.4 for “average,” 5.0 - 5.4 for “average poor,” 4.0 - 4.9 for “weak,” <4.0 for “poor,” and 0 for “not ranked.”
The steps of the WSM are as follows:
Step 1: Identification of the criteria and alternatives used to solve the problem.
Step 2: Calculation of the WSM score.
Step 3: Ranking.
In this study, Step 1 of the WSM was carried out by determining the criteria and weighting the criteria using the AHP method. Then the WSM score values were calculated and the tour guide selection options were ranked. After collecting the data for each candidate, the score was calculated using Excel software. The score for each candidate under each criterion was computed as follows:
Score for each criterion = (average score of 40 tourists × 60%) + (average score of four company members × 40%)
The AiWSM-score value of each candidate can be calculated using Formula (2). The candidate with the highest AiWSM-score value was selected.
where, aij is each candidate’s score for each criterion; Wj is the weight of each criterion; i = 1, 2, ...m; and j = 1, 2, ...n.
4. Results
Between five and 50 participants are typically interviewed for qualitative studies, with as few as 20 participants interviewed in many of them. It is noted that academic journals often avoid strictly quantifying the sample size for qualitative research (Dworkin, 2012).
This study conducted focus group discussion for qualitative research with ten experts. These experts are quite knowledgeable about the tourism industry in Vietnam. In addition, they are well-trained and have many years of experience in management. Purposive sampling was used as an appropriate sampling procedure for this study because the qualitative research in this case had a small sample size.
To effectively assess the candidates, relevant experts with five years or more of working experience as directors at travel companies in Vietnam were selected as participants. Questionnaires were distributed to experts for the study, with six open-ended questions for the qualitative study and ten questions for the first quantitative study. As for those ten questions, ten responses were received, and all of these responses were accepted with a CR of less than 10%.
One of the most important things is that the experts participating in this study have worked for a long time in the tourism industry and they are in regular contact with tour guides and tourists. Therefore, their comments and evaluations are close to reality. Table 6 shows the characteristics of the experts.
In the second quantitative study to collect scores, 124 scoring sheets were distributed and 124 responses were collected. No errors occurred in the score collection. Table 7 shows the age and gender characteristics of the participants in the candidate assessment.
Department in Charge | Years of Experience in the Tourism Industry | ||
5-10 years | 11-15 years | 16-20 years | |
Director | Three experts | Four experts | Three experts |
Participants | |||
Number of Company Members | Number of Tourists | ||
Quantity | 4 | 120 | |
Age | From 20-30 | 0 | 42 |
From 31-40 | 2 | 23 | |
From 41-50 | 2 | 39 | |
From 51-60 | 0 | 26 | |
Gender | Male | 3 | 52 |
Female | 1 | 68 | |
If n=5 and λmax=5.0331323, then the following can be deduced:
CI=(λmax-n)/(n-1)=(5.0331323-5)/(5-1)=0.00828
CR= CI/RI=0.00828/1.12=0.0074.
The CR value is 0.0074, which is less than 0.1. Therefore, there is consistency in the decision-making.
Through the weighting results (Wj) of each criterion of a tour guide in Table 8 and the visual chart in Figure 3, it can be seen that the criteria prioritized by experts are communication skills, problem-solving skills and professional skills. The weight of the communication skills criterion is much higher than that of the remaining skills.
Criteria | C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | Weight (Wj) |
C1 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/4 | 1/3 | 1/7 | W1= 0.0553 |
C2 | 2 | 1 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1/5 | W2= 0.0902 |
C3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1/2 | W3= 0.2529 |
C4 | 3 | 2 | 1/2 | 1 | 1/3 | W4= 0.1543 |
C5 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | W5= 0.4474 |
The score for each criterion will be calculated according to the following formula:
Score for each criterion = (average score of 40 tourists × 60%) + (average score of four company members × 40%)
After performing the calculations, the authors obtained the results and they are shown in Table 9.
C1 | C2 | C3 | C4 | C5 | |
A1 | 7.88 | 8.20 | 8.70 | 8.54 | 8.20 |
A2 | 7.62 | 7.88 | 8.46 | 8.08 | 9.08 |
A3 | 9.00 | 8.62 | 9.20 | 8.20 | 8.04 |
According to Table 9, it can be seen that Candidate A1 is rated higher than Candidate A2 in almost all criteria, specifically four criteria. However, in criterion C5 (communication skills), Candidate A2 is rated higher by experts. Candidate A3 is rated higher than Candidate A1 in three criteria. However, in criterion C5 and criterion C4 (professional skills), it is not as good as Candidate A1. Candidate A2 seems to be inferior to the other two candidates in many criteria. However, the results in Table 10 show that the WSM-score value of Candidate A2 is the highest. Therefore, Candidate A2 was selected. This shows that if the selection is based on emotions, it is very difficult to choose a logical candidate. Therefore, the use of the AHP method and the WSM shows superiority over the selection based on emotions.
Through the weighted results of the criteria in Table 8, it can be seen that the weight of the communication skills criterion is much higher than the weight of the other criteria. This shows that communication skills are extremely necessary and are the most important skills that a tour guide needs to have. This also shows that business administrators often prioritize recruiting tour guides with good communication skills. Those skills can be considered the most important prerequisite skills and are of interest to employers and business administrators in the Vietnamese tourism industry.
Value | Ranking | |
A1WSM-score | 8.3612 | 3 |
A2WSM-score | 8.5800 | 1 |
A3WSM-score | 8.4634 | 2 |
5. Conclusions and Policy Implications
A combination of the AHP method and the WSM was used in this study to select tour guides at a travel agency in Vietnam. The criteria for a tour guide were determined through group discussions with experts, and the weight (Wj) of the criteria was determined by the AHP method. After collecting the scores, the WSM was applied to determine the AiWSM-score value of each candidate. Finally, Candidate A2 with the highest A2WSM-score value (8.5800) was selected. At the same time, the weight (Wj) of the criteria showed that experts highly appreciated the candidate’s outstanding skills in three aspects, i.e., communication skills, problem-solving skills, and professional skills. One thing that is particularly noteworthy is that communication skills have a much higher weight than the remaining skills, showing that communication skills are a prerequisite and the top important skills that a tour guide needs to have.
(a) For business administrators
In the selection of tour guides, managers need to focus on candidates with outstanding skills, such as communication skills, problem-solving skills and professional skills. In particular, communication skills need to be prioritized as a prerequisite in selecting tour guides. In training and developing human resources, business managers need to focus on fostering and improving the skills of tour guides through training and enhancing their communication skills through developing groups within the business, thereby meeting the increasingly high demands of the job as well as gradually perfecting the skills required in the work of tour guides.
(b) For students majoring in tour guiding
The time in school is important for students to be exposed to and absorb the necessary skills to meet the job requirements after graduation. Students should focus on absorbing knowledge in school and specialized knowledge in the tourism industry. At the same time, they should increase social activities to help themselves interact better with the community and improve communication skills. These are necessary preparations for students to be exposed to the actual working environment after graduation.
(c) For organizations and schools that provide specialized training for tour guides
It is necessary to focus on building a streamlined training program, increasing cooperation with businesses to create conditions for students to practice, and helping students to be exposed to real work right from when they are still in school. At the same time, it is necessary to increase extracurricular activities, thereby helping students interact more with the outside environment and interact with the community to improve their communication skills.
This study has some limitations. The ten experts’ evaluation perspectives are personal because they are ten directors from ten travel companies in Vietnam. This study was conducted with a small number of experts. In addition, the number of alternatives used in the study, which is three, is small. In the future, the AHP method and the WSM could be combined to select tour guides in a different scope, or a larger number and variety of alternatives could be used.
The data used to support the research findings are available from the corresponding author upon request.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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