Purpose Since January 1, 2014 licenses needed to execute a tour guide profession in Poland (with exception of mountain tour guiding) have been abandoned. This study attempts to examine whether regulation paucity affected prices and quality of service at the tour guiding market. Methodology A majority of findings refers to the results of questionnaires conducted among tour guides during annual meeting of tour guides’ association (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society - PTSS) in February 2015 which was supported with structured interviews with managers of PTSS and Free Guiding Organization. The questionnaires were divided into three parts which are related to information asymmetry, price changes and quantity of service on the market after deregulation. Findings Most of interrogated tour guides believe that tour operators may correctly assess a quality of their services and their licenses still act as a quality certificates. A majority did neither experience a price fall of their services nor they observed new tour guides on the market. However a half of interviewed tour guides observed that tour guides widen their services into fields previously restricted (e.g. other area). Hence, deregulation benefited mostly existing group of tour guides.

1. IMPACT OF DEREGULATION ON
TOUR GUIDING MARKET IN
POLAND
Adam Pawlicz
Szczecin University
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour
Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-
284).

2. ToSEE - Tourism in South East Europe
3rd International Scientific Conference
Sustainable Tourism, Economic Development and Quality of Life
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Opatija
Role of the tour guide (TG) on
tourism market
• TG play an important role in the tourism
experience
•TG performance might influence also the
overall destination image
• TG is often considered as a “ ‘Cinderella’
of the tourism industry

3. Rationale of profession regulation
• Regulation is introduced to correct market
failures or achieve socially desired outcomes
• Advocates of regulation underline that free
market will fail to produce the socially
optimum quantity of the professional service
• Others view it as a monopoly and effective
barrier of entry

4. Deregulation
• According to seminal article of Akerlof (1970)
if a customer (car purchaser) is not able to
differentiate between high quality and low
quality product than market price will not
exceed an average price.
• Thus, an owner of a good car cannot receive
its true economic value, and the owner is
locked in

5. Tour guides market in Poland
2004 2013 2015
City 3346 5941 -
Field 9219 6637 -
Mountain 4285 4984 3930
Total 16 850 17 562 -
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

6. Deregulation of Polish TG market
• Since January 1, 2014 licenses needed to
execute a tour guide profession in Poland
(with exception of mountain tour guiding)
have been abandoned.
• Deregulation process have been strongly
opposed by TG associations
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

7. Methodology
• 62 filled questionnaires by TG during 5th
annual conference of Polish Tourist and
Sightseeing Society
• Structured interviews with heads of PTSS and
Free Guiding Association
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

8. Sample description
• The majority of TGs were over 50 and worked
as a TG for more than 10 years
• For almost 60% tour guiding constituted only
additional income
• Only of 19% of TGs were actually mountain
guides
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

9. Results – Information Assymmetry
13%
63%
16%
6%
2%
10%
29%
32%
24%
5%
31%
40%
24%
2% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Strongly agree Agree Neither agree
nor disagree
Disagree Strongly
disagree
TO do know quality of TG services
TO pay more for high quality TG service
TG license issued before 2014 is still a quality certificate
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

10. Price of TG service
7%
13%
23%
49%
8%
0%
18%
44%
34%
3%3%
20%
45%
32%
0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Strongly
agree
Agree Neither
agree nor
disagree
Disagree Strongly
disagree
Average price of my TG service in 14 vs. 13 decreased
Average price of TG service in 14 vs. 13 in my region decreased
Price diferentiation is higher in 14 vs. 13
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

11. Competition
5%
19%
35% 34%
6%7%
43%
25%
20%
5%
3%
20%
43%
28%
7%
11%
31%
44%
15%
0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Strongly
agree
Agree Neither
agree nor
disagree
Disagree Strongly
disagree
The number of my new TG competitors increased significantly in 14 vs. 13
After 1.1.2014 existing TG provided new serives which were previously restricted
The number of TG services increased significantly in my region in 14 vs 13
TO let more often TG job to tourist pilot in 14 vs 13
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

12. Conclusions
• TG with possess a former license are doing
very well on the free market and mostly do
not complain about neither less demand on
their services not a drop in prices.
• The unhealthy practices of tour operators
described reports from Asia (Ap & Wong,
2001; Hu & Wall, 2011), which zero-fare tours
and commission based fees are still not
occurring on the Polish TG market
Pawlicz, A. (2015, April). Impact of Deregulation on Tour Guiding Market in Poland. In 3rd International Scientific
Conference Tourism in South East Europe (Vol. 3, pp. 273-284).

13. Thank you for your attention!
Hvala vam na pažnji!
Adam Pawlicz
Szczecin University
E-mail: adam.pawlicz@wzieu.pl