Local Tour Guiding

NC II

Subject Teacher: Ms. Angelene B. Causing

 Daily Prayer
God our Father, creator of all,
Thank you for ways in which you provide for
as all.
For your protection, kindness and love.
Help us to focus our hearts and minds now,
On what we are about to learn.
Inspire us by your Holy Spirit,
As we listen, cooperate and write.
Guide us by your eternal light
As we discover more about the world around
us.
And bless us with your wisdom to understand
everything.
Chapter 3:
Tour Guiding as a
Profession
 ACTIVITY
Let us begin by knowing your tasks. Can you guess what they are? Draw a
smiling face ☺ on the tasks you think are part of a tour guide’s job, if not sad
face.
My duties and responsibilities:
_______1. Monitor visitors’ activities to ensure compliance with establishment
or tour regulations and safety practices.
_______2. Solicit tour patronage and sell souvenirs.
_______3. Carry all the luggage of the guests.
_______4. Force the tourist to buy souvenirs.
_______5. Lead walking tours, driving tours, or cruises through popular sites,
national parks, historic neighborhoods, museums or other regional points of
interest.
_______6. Scold the group of being noisy.
_______7. Provide the group with false information about the site.
_______8. Prevent guests from asking questions.
_______9. Discipline a guest for being unruly.
_______10. Give all the requests of the group.
_______11. Provide directions and other pertinent information to visitors.
_______12. Greet, register visitors, and issue any required identification
badges and/or safety devices.
_______13. Instruct them to bring their own medicines and first aid kits.
_______14. Provide the tourists with discount coupons or free rides.
_______15. Collect fees and tickets from group member
 Lesson 1:
Becoming a Tour
Guide
 What is required to
be a Tour Guide?
 What are the tasks
and challenges
involved?
 Tour guiding - is not just about giving
directions or welcoming and greeting
guests.

 When you cater to a tourist, it should be

as if you are receiving a friend in your
own home.

 You make it a point to be the friendliest,

the most entertaining and in short, the
best host that you can possibly be.
 TASKS OF A TOUR GUIDE
The Department of Tourism (DOT
 defines a tour guide as an “individual
who, either as an employee or affiliate
of a duly licensed travel and tour
agency, guide tourists, both foreign
and domestic, for a fee, commission or
any lawful form of remuneration”.
The following tasks are your
duties as a tour guide:

1. Conduct tours
2. Manage itineraries, logistics,
and lodging
3. Be sensitive to guest
4. Ensure the guests’ safety
5. Promote local tourism
 The following tasks are your
duties as a tour guide:
 Conduct Tours- Provide guests with a
factual presentation of the location.
 Conduct Tours
 Always distinguish stories that are based on
facts, myths, or traditions.
 Distribute brochures, show audio-visual
presentation, and explain establishment
processes and operations at tour sites.
 When guiding in a cultural, historical, and
religious site, do not forget to provide
information or trivia about site’s archeology,
art, rituals, religious practices, beliefs, and
culture.
 Manage itineraries, logistics
and lodging- meet clients at the airport;
accompany them to hotels and to activities
scheduled during the tour.
Manage itineraries, logistics and lodging
 Manage meal and transportation throughout
the tour.
 Assign room and deal with luggage
 Explain the itinerary and schedule
 Manage a budget
 Generate reports for the company.
Be sensitive to guests

always act with tact and

diplomacy in dealing with
them;

describe tour points of

interest to group members
and respond to questions.
Be sensitive to guests
 Greet and register visitors and issue any required
identification badges and/or safety devices.
 Act fairly and reasonably in all dealings
 Prepare to cater the needs of the elderly and
children
 Learn to speak at least one foreign language to
communicate effectively with a specific group of
foreign tourist: ( example: if you are guiding
Korean tourists, then you should know how to
speak Korean or be familiar with their language.
 Ensure the
guests’ safety-
Monitor visitors’
activities to ensure
compliance with
establishment or
tour regulations
and safety
practices.
Ensure the guests’ safety
 In case of emergency, provide first aid and
direct emergency situations. Keep an eye on
the physical safety of the group you are
guiding.
 Teach tourist how to use equipment that they
will use during the tour. For example: teach
them proper climbing methods if mountain
climbing is part of the tour’s itinerary.
 Assemble and check the required supplies and
equipment prior to departure.
 Promote local tourism- Protect and promote
local tourism by making every assignment a
treat and success with respect to the
environment, wildlife, sights and monuments
and local customs and traditions.
 Act responsively as representative of the
country and the people.
 Solicit tour patronage and promote souvenirs.
TYPES OF TOUR GUIDE
1. Sightseeing Tour Guide
2. Step-on Tour Guide
3. Shore Excursion Guide
4. Adventure, Sport, And Eco Tour
Guide
 TYPES OF TOUR GUIDE
 Sightseeing Tour Guide- lead groups
of tourists on tour buses around cities,
towns and other tourist areas. They are
often stationed in one area for longer
periods of time.
Sightseeing Tour Guide
 Involves watching different sights and attractions and
visiting historical and cultural sites or places of interest.
 They provide the narration for their tours and may also
drive tourist around, and take care of travel necessities,
including hotel accommodation, restaurant
reservations, and flight bookings.
 These guides often meet their group on the day of the
tour, follow a planned itinerary, and leave them at the
end of the tour.
 A tour with one group can last for a day or more. They
go back to the same group or meet up with another one
on the following day.
 Step- on Tour Guide- are also stationed in specific
areas. However, their work areas are more limited that
appear at theme parks, museums or resorts.
 They do not have to stay with tourists from the start to
finish. Their assistance is required only within the
premises of their area.
 They only have to provide information within their
scope and they usually do not handle trip
accommodation.
 Shore Excursion Tour Guide- are required to
know all the important details about the tour’s stop
and sights. They are also expected to deal with
more groups, composed of different nationalities.
 Adventure, Sport and Eco Tour Guide - they are
characterized as people with a passion for sports
and adventure, and have joined the ranks of tour
guides to travel, share delights of adventure with
others and make the most of the experience.
TOUR PERSONALITIES

1. Tour Managers
2. Tour Managers vs. Tour Guide
3. Tour Operators
TOUR PERSONALITIES
Tour Managers
Also known as tour directors, tour managers are
paid by tour operators to organize and sometimes
plan tours. The scope of their job is bigger than
that of a tour guide as they often lead groups of
people throughout a country or region.
 Tour Managers vs. Tour Guide
The responsibilities of tour guides and
managers may vary depending on client
and company requirements, but almost
handle the same tasks, which often only
differ in scope and specifications.
Tour guide for example make
arrangement and oversee the logistics of
the tour, but only within their areas of
assignment.
 Tour Managers vs. Tour Guide
 Meanwhile tour managers, often travel with
guest and take care of all necessary
accommodations along the way.
 Tour manager typically work full-time unlike
tour guides who only have to meet guests
whenever necessary.
 Since tour guides who only have to meet
guests whenever necessary.
 Since tour guide focus on single area, their
knowledge and working permit may also
restrict them from working elsewhere.
 Tour Operators
Tour Operators are responsible for the general
operations of a tour. They combine tour and
travel elements to create a memorable
vacation or trip. They commonly have a strong
background of finance, marketing and
hospitality.
10 Commandments of Tour Guiding
1. Be professional
2. Observe punctuality at all times
3. Be transparent
4. Give your guest their money’s worth
5. Be knowledgeable
6. Have a proactive attitude
7. Be Flexible
8. Have a positive personality
9. Be trustworthy
10.Love your country
10 Commandments of Tour Guiding
1. Be professional
 your aim is to provide your customers unique and
excellent travel experiences. Professionalism
requires that you have the requisite characteristics
and skills set to deliver this and you have to do
consistently.
 Everything that you see or do reflects on you, your
company, and your country.
 It is a huge responsibility and you have to see it
through in a friendly, calm, and effective manner
such that even if the customer’s complaint is
groundless, you respond to it with appropriate
2. Observe punctuality at all times
 Punctuality is expected from any professional. However,
this trait is too important in this job it requires a separated
rule.
 Being punctual involves times management and careful
planning. This means owning a sense of responsibility
during the tour and making all the necessary preparations
prior to the tour in order to avoid crams and delays.
Punctuality also includes setting rules and guidelines for
both you and your clients in order to accomplish tasks in
the allotted time.
 Breaking this rule is a mortal sin for tour guiding as it
could not only cost you your job but also the company of
its clients.
 More importantly, it robs the clients of their time and
3. Be transparent
 This means that you deliver what you promised to
customers at the time of their booking. You
communicate accurate and up-to-date information
on your tour guide profile and tour description
pages. You are aware of the hazards of the tourists
destination and have explained these issues to
customers.
 Communication is open between you and customers
and anything related to their interests (e.g., costs,
plan changes, complaints) are duly discussed.
4. Give your guest their money’s worth
 The commitment to give customers what they
expected or more is giving value for money. The
services they get must be worth every penny
they spent. So, if you promised in the tour
description five interest spots for a particular
price, then the itinerary should be true or it’s
word. Don’t give your customers any unpleasant
surprises like additional costs or itinerary
cancellations.
5. Be knowledgeable
 Tour guide should be well-versed in the subject
matter of their tour. Having the knowledge and
passion for what you are doing is critical to the
success of the tour.
 If you do not know to answer the question, then
just be forthright and say that you do not know,
but assure the client that you will answer his or
her query later on. Make sure that you answer his
or his question before the tour ends. Knowing
your clients and understanding their needs will
also help you do your job.
6. Have a proactive attitude
 Being proactive means you can anticipate
customers’ needs and tour events because you
are aware of what is happening around you. You
approach people and problems with solutions
and positive outlook. You actively seek to
understand and ensure the well-being of your
customers at all times.
7. Be Flexible
 You should be able to cope the demanding
changes on the job, particularly those that are
a bit rough. When unexpected situation arise,
you adapt to keep the customers happy and
safe. You are not afraid to make decisions and
to act them swiftly.
8. Have a positive personality
 Tour guides are known for being confident,
outgoing, and friendly but there is certainly more
to a positive personality than these. To be a good
tour guide is to be genuinely interested in
people. It means being engaging and
entertaining and also being patient and sensitive
when the need comes.
9. Be trustworthy
 Trustworthiness is the trait that seals any form of
agreements. It does not only imply honesty; it
also shows that you keep your end of the bargain
by giving your customers what they are
guaranteed. This does not only bind your
connection with them; it also builds your
reputation and often calls for repeat transactions.
10. Love your country
 Tour guiding is a career that thrives on the
promotion of local destinations and products.
Mastering this crafts entails both mind and heart.
Being knowledgeable in your field entails deep
respect and love for what you are doing. If you
truly love your country, it will show in how you
execute your tours: in your manner or promoting
sites and attractions and the way you value your
culture and resources, which in return will inspire
your guests.
Group Task:
Let’s try on activity that will help you master all them. Divide the
class into five groups. Each group has to present a role play
depicting the following tasks.
1. Conducting Tours
2. Managing Itineraries
3. Being Sensitive to guests
4. Ensuring Safety of the guests
5. Promoting Local Tourism

Record a play on a digital camera or any handheld device. The

group may use effects to maximize the presentation. Present the
video in class
B. Answer the following questions.
1.What is required to be a Tour Guide? What are
the tasks and challenges involved?

2.Among the tour guiding traits, what are the

traits that you already possess? What traits do
you still need to work on?

3.Are there areas that you want to specialize on

as a tour guide? What are they and how would
you acquire or develop the skills needed for
them?
THANK
YOU!!!