TOUR131 - Fundamentals of Tour Guiding

• Tour Guiding


  The provision of professional service to interpret the cultural and natural heritage of an area
• Elements of Tour Guiding

  • Professionalism
  • Service
  • Interpretation
  • Physical Elements
• Professionalism


  • Tour guiding is a profession, which means that before becoming a tour guide, a person must first undergo a training program. In many countries, one must acquire a license to practice legally.
• Service


  • Service is intangible, perishable, and unique.
• Interpretation


  • Tour guiding is a form of interpretation. This means that one of the tour guide's roles is to educate the tourists about the meaning and significance of cultural and natural attractions.
• Physical Elements


  • Tour guides combine service with the physical elements to create the total tourism experience for clients. The physical elements include the facilities of hotels, modes of transportation, and the things that tourists find in tourist attractions, such as parks and museums.
• Importance of Quality Tour Guiding Services

  • Enhancing the Tourist Experience
  • Providing Accurate and Reliable Information
  • Ensuring Safety and Security
  • Personalized and Customized Experiences
  • Promoting Cultural Understanding and Respect
  • Supporting Local Communities and Sustainable Tourism
• Importance of Professionalism in Tour Guiding

  • Enhancing Tourist Satisfaction
  • Positive Impact on Destination Image
  • Creating a positive experience
  • Ensuring safety and security
  • Building credibility and trust
  • Promoting destination and cultural understanding
  • Upholding ethical standards
• Herodotus

  World's First Travel Writer
• Proxemos


  Whose role was to assist citizens in traveling abroad
• Tour Guiding During the Ancient Empire

  • Guides were knowledgeable individuals who provided assistance and information to tourists
  • They served as interpreters and translators, explaining the cultural and natural heritage of the region to visitors in their preferred language
  • These guides were often recognized and authorized by the relevant authorities
• Tour Guiding During the Middle Ages


  • Guides positions are stressed to ensure safe passage during this era
  • A guide was paid a large fee because he not only led the way but also created safe travel for visitors
• Tour Guiding During the Renaissance and Grand Tour


  • The image of tour guides improved as they became integral to the Grand Tour
  • These guides played a crucial role in educating the 'grand tourists'
• Tour Guiding During the Modern Age


  • The recognition of the tour guide profession grew worldwide
• Classification of Travelers

  • Explorers
  • Elite Travelers
  • Off-beat Tourists
  • Unusual Tourists
  • Incipient Mass Tourist
  • Mass Tourist
  • Charter Tourist
  • Group Traveler
  • Student Groups
  • Business Travelers
  • Incentive Travelers
  • Family Travelers
  • Senior Citizens
  • Clubs or Affinity Groups
  • Public Tour Groups
  • International Travelers
• Types of Tour Guides


  • Urban Tour Guides
  • Government Guides
  • Driver Guides
  • Specialist/ Adventure Guides
  • Docents or Volunteer Guides
• Types of Tour Guides

  • Independent contractors
  • Employed by large agencies on a full-time basis
• Government Guides


  Guides employed by the local or national government to show the nation's most important histories, cultural and political policies to visitors
• Driver Guides


  Conduct tours while driving motor coaches, vans, or cars
• Driver Guides


  • Coaches are equipped with free standing microphones, which allow drivers to drive and speak easily
• Specialist/Adventure Guides


  Include mountaineering guides, bicycle guides, fishing guides and rafting guides
• Specialist/Adventure Guides


  The work develops from a serious devotion to a sport or activity
• Specialist/Adventure Guides


  • spelunking, architecture, arts, scuba diving, mountain climbing, bird watching, photography
• Docents or Volunteer Guides


  Working in visitor centers, museums, historic houses, churches and other places that people usually visit
• Local Guides


  Competent to conduct tours in a given area or locality, building or attraction, also called as on-site guides
• Courier or Escort


  • Meet members of a tour on arrival and make introductions
  • Organizing correct baggage transfers
  • Accompanying parties in transits and assuring safe arrival
  • Promoting and arranging optional activities
• Linguist Guides


  Fluent/proficient in the language of the tourist and has good working knowledge of their custom, tradition, and even types of meal required
• Roles of a Tour Guide

  • The leader
  • The educator
  • The public relations representative
  • The host
  • The conduit
• Personal Qualities of an Effective Tour Guide

  • Punctual
  • Pleasing personality
  • Genuine interest in people
  • Resourcefulness
  • Trustworthy
  • Tactfulness
  • Good sense of leadership
  • Good communication skills
  • Responsible, sensible and dedicated
  • Confident
  • Good sense of humor
• Professional Qualities of an Effective Tour Guide

  • Knowledgeable
  • Outgoing and Approachable
  • Confident
  • Proactive
  • Sensitive
  • Flexible
  • Sincere
  • Well-groomed
  • Sense of Humor
  • Good Communication Skills
• Professional Ethics in Guiding

  • Good behavior
  • Moral maturity
  • Knowing what is good and what is bad
• Relationships with Fellow Guides

  • Treat others as you would wish to be treated
  • Be considerate with other guides and groups in crowded places
  • Always share information that could be helpful to colleagues
• Relationships With Employers

  • Always appear neat and clean with proper uniform and badge
  • Maintain a businesslike and socially acceptable demeanor
  • Never share a company's trade secrets or internal problems with clients or employees of another company
  • Follow and complete their tour itinerary
  • Never solicit work for oneself or another company through a company's client
• Relationships with other colleagues

  • Attempt to learn more about other aspects of the industry
  • Always acknowledge a colleague's excellent service
  • Discuss problems privately, without being heard by clients
  • Avoid gossip about colleagues
• Relationships to Travelers

  • Treat all tour members with equal time, attention, and dignity
  • Give accurate and interesting information and strive to learn more
  • Be very objective and diplomatic
  • Keep guests comfortable and safe
  • Never look down on a region's customs or consider them strange or weird
  • Never solicit tips
• Responsibilities to local regions and to society

  • Encourage visitors to meet local people
  • Explain local customs to visitors when they differ from the customs of the group
  • Remind visitors to help maintain the region's clean and safe environment
  • Exercise caution and respect for local people in areas with poverty, crime and environmental damage
  • Always travel with dignity and respect and remind visitors to do same
• Ten Commandments of Tour Guiding

  • Smile
  • Dress Properly
  • Be patient
  • Be ready
  • Be friendly and courteous
  • Be calm and positive
  • Be prepared
  • Study your people
  • Protect other suppliers
  • Be understanding, but firm
• Seven Sins of Service as Applied to Guiding

  • Treating customers with apathy
  • Brushing customers off
  • Being cold to customers
  • Treating customers with arrogance
  • Working like a robot
  • Getting hung up on the rule book
  • Giving customers "the run-around"
• Working with Different Age Groups

  • Students
  • Senior Citizens
• Working with "Difficult" People

  • The first duty of a guide is to create an atmosphere of harmony and mutual trust
  • Visitors will examine the guide for signs about their attitude, personality, capability and other indications about the experience they will have