Week002

Guiding Concepts and Principles

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Week 002: Guiding Concepts and Principles

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Discuss the type of tour guide

2. Discuss the concept of tour guiding

3. Explain the roles played by different types of tour

guides
Week 002: Guiding Concepts and Principles

 Duties and Responsibilities of a Guide

 Types of Tour Guide

Roles, functions and responsibilities

Being a Tour Guide/Tourist Guide requires attention to a wide range of roles,

functions and responsibilities.

Tour Guides are often referred to as ‘the mortar that binds the tour together’.

In addition to any duties/requirements prescribed by individual employers, the

following are accepted as being standard industry requirements.
1. Manager and leader

This is vital and central role because tourists/visitors and the employer expect the Tour
Guide to take charge/control of the tour and tour group members.

This can involve:

a. Managing the tour group members and leading the tour so:

• The schedule of the tour is adhered to

• No one gets lost

• Behavior is acceptable

• All participants get maximum value from the tour.

b. Issuing items as required for the tour – such as tickets, badges, equipment,
handouts and other group-specific or tour-specific items

c. Briefing people – on practical tour-related issues, and giving necessary operational

and/or safety-related instructions

d. Taking responsibility for the tour group – highlighting the need to:
• Ensure comfort of the group

• Guarantee their safety and security

• Respond to their individual needs/preferences

• Make sure visitors/tour group members enjoy their experience and ensure the tour
lives up to advertisements/promises made about it and enhances the reputation and
image of the Tour Operator and the destinations and host country
• Comply with all legal, moral and ethical requirements – including commonly
accepted social standards/norms

• Monitor and supervise actions, language and interactions of the tour group

e. Escorting tour group members to protect them and ensure their safety – this can
mean taking charge and taking appropriate action when an emergency arises or when
there is a need to take decisive action to accommodate unforeseen/unexpected
circumstances
f. Demonstrating confidence and credibility – by dressing appropriately, by acting
and speaking professionally, by proving things are organised, by providing relevant
and interesting information and insight into what is said

g. Acting as a role model – about how tour group members should act/behave, about
where they can go and cannot go, how to talk to others.

h. Directing, navigating and moving people in relation to where they go, what they
do, how long they spend in an area/on an activity
i. Showing people what to do – such as demonstrating skills, demonstrating safety
equipment/requirements, demonstrating local activities

j. Path-finding – to show the way so people know where to go.

2. Mediator

This is needed in order to:

a. Mediate problems and/or conflict within the group – or between individuals in the
group
b. Mediate issues between the tour and the place where the tour is being conducted –
which may relate to issues such as:

• Timing of activities

• Access to exhibits/areas

• Duration of demonstrations

• Movement of groups

• Actions of individuals within the tour group.

Tourist Guides are often required to be the ‘social lubricant’ (regarded as a ‘social
facilitator’) between members of a group to handle disputes and facilitate individual
engagement with the tour (that is, to draw out those who appear alone, reluctant to
participate or unhappy): high levels of social and interpersonal skills are essential for
those who deliver tours.

All Tourist Guides must be a ‘people person’.

3. Communicator

This involves:

a. Welcoming people to the tour – genuinely, warmly, personally and sincerely

b. Delivering a commentary to tour group members – to explain, inform, illustrate

and interpret the tour and to promote cultural awareness

c. Responding to questions – asked by tour group members

d. Providing information – about tour sites, locations, destinations, surrounding areas,
products and services, events and festivals, history and culture, business, and
(generally speaking) anything to do with the local area/country.

Being a good communicator also requires interpretation of aspects of the tour (such as
culture and customs, history, the environment, social factors and the economy)

4. Cultural Host

This relates to promoting and respecting local culture.

5. Teacher and mentor

All tours contain an element of teaching people something or facilitating their

learning.

This means the tour guide must have:

a. Extensive knowledge of the topic/area which is the focus of the tour – so they can
show, tell and explain as required as well as respond to questions
b. Extensive knowledge of the wider area/country/region – in order to be an ambassador for the
country/location

c. Skills and techniques to enable them to impart the knowledge they have – to groups and
individuals.

6. Environmentalist

All Tourist Guide are expected to:

a. Advise tour group members about actions to help preserve and protect all environments they
visit – to demonstrate responsibility and support the principle us sustainable tourism
b. Take action to minimise tourist impact – on the environment

c. Inform tourists of relevant local environmental issues and concerns – in relation to

environmental issues, problems and initiatives.

7. Entertainer

All tours have some degree of entertainment and the Tour Guide needs to be able to:

a. Optimise enjoyment of the group

b. Enhance interest in the tour and activities

c. Make people smile and laugh at appropriate times and for appropriate reasons

d. Captivate and amuse people on tours, especially younger ones/children.

8. Safety and Security Officer

Delivering a tour can require:

a. Explanation of safety requirements – telling people what they should and should not
do to remain safe
b. Distribution of safety equipment – and demonstration of how to wear/use it, as
well as assisting people to get into safety/protective clothing

c. Observing and monitoring tour group members – to ensure they do not get lost,
injured or place themselves (or others) in danger

d. Monitoring of the environment – to predict potential threats/warning signs

e. Taking appropriate action when danger threatens or an emergency situation occurs

– or when a person is injured.
9. Sales Person

A Tour Guide can be required to:

a. Promote retail opportunities – available within the tour to optimise sales

b. Encourage referral business – that is, encouraging people on the tour to

suggest/recommend the tour and/or the country to their families and friends

c. Generate repeat business – where participants come back for another tour

d. Advertise any aspect of the business/site – as determined or required by management..

10. Administrator

This can involve:

a. Liaising with other operators and businesses – to organise or otherwise facilitate tours and visits

b. Planning and organising tour activities – to suit identified need

c. Arranging supporting inclusions for the tour – such as food/meals, drinks, transport,
accommodation and other items appropriate to the type of tour and identified need of tour group
members
d. Completing necessary reports – as required by employer

e. Maintaining records – of each tour as necessary.

TYPES OF TOUR GUIDES

It is common for the following types of Tour Guides to be available for employers and
visitors/tour groups to choose from:

1. On-site Attractions guide

These Tour Guides:

a. Are specific to one (or a limited number) of venues, attractions, parks, gardens or
destinations

b. Meet and greet tourists on arrival

c. Have an extremely detailed knowledge of the site they are working in

d. Will be expected to promote sales within the site/attraction

e. Manage tourists and visitors while they are on-site

f. Will frequently:

• Lead on-site tours

• Conduct demonstrations relevant to the site/type of attraction

• Supervise activities – such as experiential learning

• Provide commentaries

• Drive site-specific transport/vehicles

• Organise and monitor on-site inclusions – such as meals, photo opportunities,

displays, events, distribution of materials, rides, games

g. Farewell visitors and encourage repeat and referral business.

2. City Guides

These Tour Guides:

a. Specialise in leading tours of one or more cities

b. May conduct:

• ‘City walks’

• ‘Bicycle tours’

• ‘Hop on, hop off’ tours – using public transport

• Tours of a specific area of a city

• Tours of specific business/property types within the city – such as fashion and
clothing houses, restaurants, electronic wholesalers/retailers

• Tours of certain lifestyle/life choices – such as medicine, nightlife, arts and

culture, museums, history, activity-based options

c. Often work closely with:

• Councils

• Tourism bodies including semi=government authorities

• Local businesses.

3. Government guides

Government guides are employed by the government or government-funded bodies

or agencies.

These Tour Guides:

a. Are employed by the government – but may not be obviously designated (to
visitors/tourists) as government employees
b. Need to comply with pre-requisite compliance requirements – which often relates
to minimum requirements for experience as well as holding designated
qualifications and/or a local tour licence/permit

c. Are often to communicate prescribed information to visitors – as part of the

government effort to impart knowledge and/or promote a certain point of view or
initiative
d. May:

• Lead tours of government buildings and other government-owned and managed

destinations

• Conduct tours of general areas, cities and other attractions.

4. Specialised guides

These Tour Guides:

a. Specialise on one or more type of tours – such as, for example:

• Action and adventure tours

• Historic tours

• Culture tours

• The Arts

• Eco-tourism and nature

b. Must have:

• Extensive knowledge of the areas they are specialising in

• Sound skills relating to the activities which are the focus of their tours

c. Often operate as other guide types – in addition to their chosen specialisation

5. Independent guide

An independent guide:

a. Is self-employed

b. May also work for Tour Operators, Government agencies or attractions or destinations
on a contractual basis – in any Tour Guide capacity as listed in this section
c. May need to be registered by local authorities – in order to function in this capacity

d. May need to ensure they meet local compliance obligations imposed by law/the
authorities – which may relate to:

• Advertising and promotion

• Conduct and ethical practices – including complaint resolution

• Insurance coverage.
6. Business and Industry guides

These Tourist Guides:

a. Are ‘Specialised guides’ who focus on leading tours to:

• Nominated business houses

• Specific industry types or sectors

b. May be self-employed or employed by the businesses/industries they serve

c. Can operate (wholly or partially) on a ‘commission basis – based on the sales made
to visitors/tour groups while they are at individual establishments.

7. Duration-based guides

These Tour Guides may be:

a. One-day Tour guides – leading tours of (generally) six to twelve hours duration

b. Extended Tour Guides – conducting multiple day tours.

They:

• May be required to drive a vehicle – or may work in conjunction with a dedicated

driver

• May be required to cook/prepare meals – or may work with a dedicated cook

• Can be a generalist Tour Guide – with general knowledge about an area and/or a
range of topics, or a Specialised Tourist Guide

• May be required to arrange and supervise accommodation of tour group members

• Will need exceptional levels of interpersonal and communication skills – given the length
and nature of the contact they have with visitors

• Must monitor group dynamics more than other types of Tour Guides given the longer
duration of tours and the greater potential for problems to arise.

8. Driver guide

These Tour Guides:

a. May be any classification of Tour Guide as identified above – who combine their other Tour
Guide duties with driving a vehicle
b. Often need to hold a nominated type of driving licence as appropriate to the type of
vehicle being driven – which may be:

• A car or van with limited passenger capacity

• A four-wheel drive vehicle – especially on adventure/remote area tours

• A bus or coach

c. May drive:

• Vehicles on public roads

• Conveyances within the boundaries of attractions – such as tractor-trains

d. Will often need to have:

• Specialist driving training

• Nominated experience/ability with vehicle maintenance and repairs.

References and Supplementary Materials

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Work as a tour guide D2.TTG.CL3.01 Trainee Manual;

https://www.swisscontact.org/fileadmin/images/Country_Subpages/Mekong/doc
uments/TM_Work_as_a_tour_guide_290415.pdf; December 02, 2019