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Perceived support from the organization significantly increases the commitment of outdoor sports guides
Strong emotional connection to the place significantly increases the loyalty of guides to the destination
Meaningful work is a strong influencing factor for high commitment to the guides' job
Camaraderie increases commitment to colleagues, which has a positive influence on destination loyalty
Summary of the study
Outdoor sports and recreation organizations are important service providers in tourism, with their employees serving as their most valuable asset. However, while studies have examined employee commitment in tourism service contexts such as hotels and restaurants, research on the commitment of outdoor sports guides is limited.
This study is the first to examine the role of four different workplace commitments and their influencing factors in the context of outdoor service providers in the tourism sector. Using a quantitative design, an online survey was conducted with 200 snow sports instructors in one of Austria's largest winter tourism destinations. A structural equation model with SmartPLS 4.0 was used to test the hypotheses.
The results of this study show that the workplace commitments of outdoor sports guides are interconnected and their explanations vary depending on the destination. Place Attachment, Camaraderie, Meaningful Work and Perceived Organizational Support significantly predict different workplace commitments.
The results suggest that workplace commitments produce different outcomes and emphasize the role of destinations and their stakeholders in employee retention and its consequences in the tourism and outdoor recreation sector. This study establishes a model of workplace commitment that provides nuanced insights into the different emotional attachments of outdoor sports guides as a specific group of service providers in tourism.
Key findings of this study
- Interdependence and different explanations: The four investigated workplace commitments of outdoor sports guides are interrelated. However, their influencing factors vary depending on the target object of the commitment (e.g. organization, destination).
- Stronger attachment to job and colleagues: The outdoor sports guides showed a higher commitment to the job and to their colleagues than to the organization or the destination. This pattern suggests that there are stronger emotional ties to immediate aspects of the workplace.
- Factors influencing organizational and destination commitment: Perceived organizational support has a positive influence on organizational commitment. Employees' place attachment is a positive predictor of destination commitment.
- Influence of job and camaraderie: Meaningful work contributes significantly to job commitment. Camaraderie is a significant factor influencing commitment to colleagues.
- Relationships between commitments: Job Commitment has a positive effect on both Organizational Commitment and Destination Commitment. Commitment to colleagues positively predicts destination commitment, but not organizational commitment.