Tour guides’ perceptions of intercultural safety communication in Finnish Lapland

There has been an increasing focus on customer safety in tourism in recent years. Tour operators have emphasised the necessity of better communication between guides and tourists, especially in intercultural encounters. This article discusses tour guides’ perceptions and experiences of safety communication with their international customers in programme services in Finnish Lapland. The theoretical background relates to the concept of intercultural safety communication that encompasses giving and interpreting safety instructions in an intercultural encounter where the guide and the customers come from different cultural backgrounds. The research data was collected through an online questionnaire and was supplemented by ten semi-structured thematic interviews. The qualitative research method was selected to meet the objectives set for the project. The main research question was how tour guides experience intercultural communication in the safety context. According to the guides, cultural (or other) differences can be recognised when communicating safety instructions. Factors such as the age, gender and attitudes of the communication parties seem to have the biggest impact on how instructions are followed. The guides also seem to be aware of cultural differences in this context. The results show that more training, both culture-specific but also culture-sensitive, is needed in order to achieve broader understanding of effective intercultural safety communication.There has been an increasing focus on customer safety in tourism in recent years. Tour operators have emphasised the necessity of better communication between guides and tourists, especially in intercultural encounters. This article discusses tour guides’ perceptions and experiences of safety communication with their international customers in programme services in Finnish Lapland. The theoretical background relates to the concept of intercultural safety communication that encompasses giving and interpreting safety instructions in an intercultural encounter where the guide and the customers come from different cultural backgrounds. The research data was collected through an online questionnaire and was supplemented by ten semi-structured thematic interviews. The qualitative research method was selected to meet the objectives set for the project. The main research question was how tour guides experience intercultural communication in the safety context. According to the guides, cultural (or other) differences can be recognised when communicating safety instructions. Factors such as the age, gender and attitudes of the communication parties seem to have the biggest impact on how instructions are followed. The guides also seem to be aware of cultural differences in this context. The results show that more training, both culture-specific but also culture-sensitive, is needed in order to achieve broader understanding of effective intercultural safety communication

Toimiva monikielinen korkeakouluympäristö edistää kansainvälisten opiskelijoiden yhdenvertaisuutta: tapaustutkimus Lapin ammattikorkeakoulussa

The article examines the equality of international university students in higher education. Universities have become diverse and multilingual operating environments, where it is possible to promote the equality of students with language-aware courses of action. The theoretical framework describes equality through multilingualism, inclusion and agency. This is a case study in which the research material was collected from international degree students at Lapland University of Applied Sciences through an electronic survey and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. As a result of the research, it was found that from the international students' perspective, equality in the higher education environment could be promoted with language-aware practices. For example, the lack of language-aware workplaces reduces the desire of international students to stay in Lapland after their studies, monolingual communication does not promote the agency of international students in the higher education environment, and the lack of networks reduces their inclusion in the higher education environment.Artikkelissa tarkastellaan kansainvälisten korkeakouluopiskelijoiden yhdenvertaisuutta korkeakouluympäristössä. Korkeakouluista on tullut monimuotoisia ja monikielisiä toimintaympäristöjä, joissa on mahdollista edistää opiskelijoiden yhdenvertaisuutta kielitietoisilla toimintatavoilla. Teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä kuvataan yhdenvertaisuutta monikielisyyden, osallisuuden ja toimijuuden kautta. Kyse on tapaustutkimuksesta, jonka tutkimusaineisto kerättiin Lapin ammattikorkeakoulun kansainvälisiltä tutkinto-opiskelijoilta sähköisellä kyselyllä ja analysoitiin laadullisella sisällönanalyysillä. Tutkimustuloksena havaittiin, että kansainvälisten opiskelijoiden näkökulmasta yhdenvertaisuutta korkeakouluympäristössä voitaisiin edistää kielitietoisilla käytänteillä. Esimerkiksi kielitietoisten työpaikkojen puute vähentää kansainvälisten opiskelijoiden halua jäädä Lappiin opintojen jälkeen, yksikielinen viestintä ei edistä kansainvälisten opiskelijoiden toimijuutta korkeakouluympäristössä ja verkostojen puute vähentää heidän osallisuuttaan korkeakouluympäristössä