The purpose of this research is to analyse how tour guides might facilitate cross-cultural understanding.  The role of the tour guide extends beyond that of a simple information transmitter; they also serve as a cultural mediator, deciphering social mores and cultural symbols.  This is accomplished through a philosophical method.  This study also highlights the importance of the guide in enriching tourists' experiences and understanding of diverse cultures and civilizations.

The goal of tour guiding is to ensure that all visitors, regardless of their background, faith, or nationality, can fully appreciate and understand a destination's rich history and culture.  Consequently, this promotes understanding and the coming together of diverse peoples, civilisations, and cultures.  In the pursuit of cultural and human experience, it emphasizes the significance of the tour guide's speech when it is comprehended and thoughtfully planned to coincide with the tourist's knowledge and cultural background.  As a result, this helps break down prejudice and opens the door to dialogue between cultures, arts, and people.

Additionally, the study examines the importance of tour guides' professionalism and ethical behavior in accurately representing their culture while also valuing and respecting the cultures of their clients.  This is because cross-border human, cultural, and social exchanges are inherent in all forms of tourist communication.  Finally, we present a new paradigm for tour guides, referring to them as "practical philosophers," whose primary responsibility is to convey cultural values, ideas, and meanings rather than merely factual information.  As a whole, this strategy helps bring people together and fosters mutual understanding and acceptance across cultures.

First: Arab Sources

Jaber, Mohamed Abdel Fattah (2018). Tourist Guidance and Its Impact on the Development of Cultural Tourism. Cairo: Anglo-Egyptian Library.

Al-Kabsi, Mohamed (2017). "Cultural Tourism and the Construction of Images of the Other: The Impact of Media on Tourism." Journal of Social and Tourism Studies. Volume 12, Issue 3, pp. 45-56.

Al-Jafari, Adel (2019). "Deconstructing Stereotypes in Tourism: Tourism as a Tool for Cultural Interaction." Cultural Studies in Tourism. Volume 15, Issue 2, pp. 98-110.4- Al-Shammari, Fahad (2021). "The Tourist Guide: Challenges and Opportunities in Deconstructing Stereotypes." Journal of Modern Tourism. Volume 8, Issue 4, pp. 1-10. 213-225.

Al-Barghouthi, Nasser (2020). "Challenges of Dismantling Stereotypes in Tourism: The Role of the Tour Guide." Regional Tourism Studies. Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 54-68.

Al-Zahrani, Fawzia (2018). "Sustainable Tourism: Towards a More Interactive and Conscious Tourism." Journal of Tourism and Sustainable Development. Volume 10, Issue 6, pp. 142-153.

Second: Foreign Sources

Carreón, E. C. A., Mendoza España, H. A., Nonaka, H., & Hiraoka, T. (2021). Differences in Chinese and Western tourists faced with Japanese hospitality – p10.

Role of Cultural Tendency... (2022). Landscapes,p4

Suryani, et al. (2024). South African Journal of Business Management,p2

Kastenholz E., Cultural proximity as a determinant…, 2010,p65.

Zhou, J., Xiang, K., Cheng, Q., & Yang, C. (2021). Psychological and Behavioural Consistency Value Seeking of Tourists in Niche Tourism: Nostalgia, Authenticity Perception and Satisfaction, Psychology Research and Behavior Management، Vol. 14،p1111-1125..

Pan, B., Gu, Z., et al. (2024). How does cultural distance affect tourism destination choice? Evidence from regional culture and tourism flow, Applied Geography.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Herder and Herder

Gadamer -, H. G. (1975). Truth and Method. New York: Seabury Press

Kant, I. (1785/1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. Trans. James W. Ellington. Hackett

Derrida, J. (2000). Of Hospitality. Stanford University Press Publishing

Ricoeur, P. (1992). Oneself as Another. University of Chicago Press

Feldman, Jackie & Skinner, Jonathan (2018)

Tour Guides as Cultural Mediators: Performance and Positioning. Ethnologia Europaea, 48(2), pp. 5–13. DOI: 10.16995/ee.1955

Weiler, Betty & Yu, Xin (2007) Dimensions of Cultural Mediation in Guiding Chinese Tour Groups: Implications for Interpretation. Tourism Recreation Research, 32(3), pp. 13–22. Published online Jan 12, 2015. DOI:10.1080/02508281.2007.11081535

McGrath, E. (2007) Paper cited within broader analysis) The mediation of understanding and limits imposed by training or official narratives. Referenced in Macdonald (2006), Weiler & Yu (2007) critique

Luo, Yibu (2022) The Role of Language and Cultural Commodification in Tourism. Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Language, Art, and Cultural Exchange (ICLACE 2022). DOI: 10.2991/assehr.k.220706.00

Souhail, Asma & Darir, Hassane (2023). Cultural Mediation in Tourism: Online Promotional Travel Guides as a Case Study. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 5(2), pp. 89–100. DOI: 10.36892/ijlls.v5i2.1250

Zhao, S. & Timothy, D. (2017). The dynamics of guiding and interpreting in red tourism, 250

Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time. Harper & Row

Gadamer, H.-G. (1989). Truth and Method. Continuum

Ricoeur, P. (1981). Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences. Cambridge University Press

Taylor, C. (1994). Multiculturalism and "The Politics of Recognition". Princeton

a. University Press.

Levinas, E. (1969). Totality and Infinity. Duquesne University Press

Morrison, Alastair. (2019). Tourism: Principles and Practice. Oxford: Routledge

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). (2020). Tour Guide Training and Quality: An International Perspective. Madrid: UNWTO Publications.