The world of tour guides

• Tour guiding started with people leading touring groups through unfamiliar terrain.
• Tour guiding can be traced back to the 15th century.
• As traveling became more common for leisure, people sought companions to care for them.
• Being a tour guide involves more skills and responsibilities than most people imagine.
• Good tour guides are knowledgeable, resourceful, and can communicate well.
• Guides plan logistics in changing environments and can handle medical and other problems.
• The industry, media, and government see a guide's role as more than just welcoming tourists.
• Guides encapsulate the essence of a place and act as a window onto a site, according to Pond (1993).
• A tour guide is, according to The World Federation Tourist Guides Association (WFTGA), (2006), a person that possesses a license or has received in-depth guide training.
• Guides provide special historical, archeological, and cultural information.
• They highlight natural beauty and promote the country for tourism.
• A tour guide is an individual who offers information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on tours, schools, religious venues, museums, etc.
• Tour guides are expected to communicate in the tourist's language.
• Tour guides provide commentary and make visitors feel welcome at a specific destination.

Tour Guiding Process

• There isn't a set process for every tour guide.
• A professional tour guide, according to USAID (2012), needs to know their audience and the mechanics of guiding.
• Knowing the audience is the most important aspect of tour guiding.
• Dynamic guides should have matching knowledge and communication skills.
• Guiding can fail if the audience is tired from travel or anxious.
• Beginning guides need to understand and adapt their content to engage the audience.
• Guides need to understand how it feels to be a tourist.
• Consider the tourist's specialized interests and the tour package they have purchased.
• It is key to understand the diverse cultural values and expectations of tourists
• The mechanics of guiding mainly focus on habit formation.
• Many guiding basics are not intuitive and are learned over time.
• Knowledge of the physical aspects of guiding is important.
• Guides should be aware of posture and eye contact.
• Body and group position should be noted.
• Guides should show smile, confidence and authority.
• Personal dress and hygiene should be considered.
• Ensure pace and tone of delivery and annunciation is clear

Arrival of Tourists

• The guide should arrive early and prepare well before the group arrives.
• Guides are expected to know their planned routes and their primary themes.
• A guide needs to meet the driver, discuss the route, and test equipment.
• Check and clean the bus's windows.

Introductions and Briefings

• Introductions happen when meeting a group for the first time, like at an airport.
• Introductions can also start individual tours, building on existing guest knowledge.
• A briefing is a presentation that prepares guests for a tour, assuming guide knows the group.
• Introductions and briefings are useful for the tour guide to set the tone and establish confidence.
• Guides also show leadership with the group.

Learning Names

• Guides should try to learn names quickly to create personal connections.
• Knowing names helps guides identify the individual characteristics and needs of their guests.
• Discuss the cultural differences that might exist regarding the use of formal or informal language.
• Americans generally prefer to be on a first name basis, whereas some Europeans often assume a formal address.

On and Off the Bus, Van, or Boat

• Command the audience's attention both "On and Off" the bus.
• Things to consider before a bus stop:
  • What's the plan?
  • What time does the group depart again?
  • Where do you depart from?
  • Where will the bus stop?
  • Where are the bathrooms/toilets?
• Acknowledge it is okay for guests to go off on their own and pursue their own interests if they are not following the group.
• Where do you go to sit down and rest (shade, drink)
• Will there be "free time"?
• Guides should consider if guests can leave things on the bus.
• Show support for the driver, and make sure the bus is locked.
• The tour guide should consider all of these things in the guiding process.

Tour Guiding Skills

• Moscardo (1998) identified three ways the tour can enhance tourists' experiences:
  • Information on available options.
  • Ensure safety and comfort.
  • Guides create the actual experience.
• To meet these, a tour guide needs to acquire certain skills.
• Needed skills for tour guiding:
  • Language skills (multilingual).
  • Problem solving skills.
  • Technological skills.
  • Cognitive skills (the know-how).
  • Interpersonal skills.
  • Organizational skills.
  • Leadership skills - team playing.
  • Basic interpretative skills.
  • Story telling skills.
  • Research skills.
  • Etc.
• Tour guides should be a leader capable of assuming responsibility.
• Guides should be an information giver and fountain of knowledge.
• A mentor (the role of the mentor resembles the role of teacher, tutor, instructor or advisor).
• Tour guides should act as a mediator and cultural brokerage.
• Tour guides play a direct mediating cultural exchange between visitors and host cultures.
• As skills are not absolute, the tour guide is expected to learn more alongside the job.

Tour guides have evolved from simple travel companions to skilled professionals. They require knowledge, resourcefulness, and communication skills. They handle logistics, solve problems, share culture, and promote a country's beauty.