Travel, Tourism & Tour Guide Practices

• Travel can have economic, social, and environmental impacts

Economic Impacts

• Tourism can stimulate economic activity, leading to job creation
• Increased revenue and reduced poverty can be possible
• Tourism leads to improved infrastructure like better roads, healthcare, and education

Social Impacts

• Travel encourages global awareness and cross-cultural understanding
• Travel helps alleviate social inequality and promote food sovereignty
• Travel helps people connect with a destination on a deeper level through new experiences

Environmental Impacts

• Travel has the potential to negatively impact the environment, especially in wildlife areas
• In dryer regions it can lead to water shortages and degradation of water supplies
• Travel can have both positive and negative health outcomes for local people

Guide's Role Beyond Expectations

• A "Guide's unusual role" refers to situations where tour guides go beyond providing information such as:
• Acting as a cultural interpreter
• Being a local community advocate
• Wildlife conservation educator
• Temporary translator
• The guide becomes a deeply involved facilitator

Key Points About a Guide's Unusual Role

• Some guides offer deep local knowledge by sharing intimate details about customs not commonly known
• Others connect tourists with local people, businesses, or initiatives
• Some guides focus on wildlife observation, historical reenactments, or culinary exploration
• Some guides weave narratives that connect the tour to individual guests' interests

Adaptive Approach

• Some guides adjust tours based on the group's needs and interests for a dynamic experience

Examples of Unusual Guide Roles

• Historical guide leads battlefield reenactments and encourages participants to dress in period attire
• A nature guide uses tracking skills to spot rare wildlife and educates guests about conservation efforts
• A culinary tour guide takes visitors to local markets and teaches them to cook traditional dishes
• A community-based guide leads tours through marginalized neighborhoods with local art and music

Applying Learning Theories to Guiding

• Identify the learner's current knowledge level, preferred learning style, and motivations to guide tour activities.
• Define specific, measurable learning objectives to guide the direction of your guidance and track progress.
• Provide structured support and progressively decrease assistance as the learner gains confidence and competence.

Applying Learning Theories to Guiding Examples

• Positive reinforcement: Guide offers praise and rewards for desired behaviors or correct responses
• Feedback loop: Guide provides immediate feedback on performance to guide improvement
• Chunking information: Breaking down complex concepts into smaller, manageable pieces for easier absorption
• Visual aids: Guide utilizes diagrams, graphs, and other visual representations to support understanding
• Active learning: Guide encourages learners to actively engage with the material through discussion and exploration
• Connect to prior knowledge: Guide helps learners link new information to their existing understanding
• Collaboration: Guide facilitates group work and peer learning to promote knowledge sharing
• Modelling: Guide demonstrates desired behaviors and skills to guide learning through observation

Applying Learning Theories Considerations

• Be flexible: Adapt your guidance approach based on the learner's individual needs and context
• Assess the effectiveness of the tour: monitor progress to adjust where needed
• Be ethical: Ensure your guidance is inclusive, and promotes learner autonomy

Educating The Tour Guide

• Equipping a tour guide with the knowledge and details about a specific location

Key Aspects of Educating a Tour Guide:

• Deep local knowledge requires a thorough understanding of the history, geography, customs, traditions, and landmarks
• Factual accuracy means the tour guide has correct information about dates, events, and people
• Cultural sensitivity ensures training the guide to be respectful of local customs, beliefs, and practices
• Storytelling skills develop the ability to weave information into interesting and memorable narratives
• Guest engagement means teachings techniques to actively involve visitors, answer questions, and cater to diverse interests
• Logistics and safety procedures ensure guides have knowledge about transportation, accessibility, and emergency protocols

Methods for Educating a Tour Guide

• Guides use the learning materials and work with experienced tour guides, historians, cultural specialists, and local community leaders
• They use the information for on-site familiarization

Why Educating the Tour Guide is Important

• Improves the visitors experience with richer, more engaging tours
• Promotes cultural understanding, using effective communication of customs and perspectives
• Improves destination image, because the destination gains a reputation for quality

Licensing and Certification

• Licensure involves completing a recognized tour guide training program.
• There is a required examination, certification to legally operate as a tour guide

Key Points About Tour Guide Certification

• Regions require tour guide training with formal courses, which include; local history, culture and tourism regulations.
• People sit for a practical exam to demonstrate competency
• Certification is typically issued by the government agency
• Licenses need to be renewed periodically, staying updated on tourism trends

Common Documents Required For Tour Guide Licensing:

• Completed application form needed for the application process
• Proof of a completed tour guide program is needed to prove tour-guide competency
• Individuals need to pass an examination to prove tour-guide competency
• Individuals will require to have a valid government issued ID
• A recent passport sized photo is needed for the application process
• An applicant needs to be have a valid health certificate, proving they are fit for the occupation
• A police clearance certificate is a requirement for most tour-guide certifications

Tour Guide Specializations:

• Cultural heritage guides focus on historical sites and cultural practices
• Nature guides have expertise in natural environments, wildlife, and eco-tourism
• Adventure guides lead activities like hiking and kayaking
• Food and wine tour guide focus on local cuisine and beverage experiences

Working Towards Change Tour Guide

• They research and integrate information about local challenges like pollution, poverty, cultural preservation
• They partner with organizations or businesses that work towards positive change
• The guide emphasizes respect for local customs and traditions; while ensuring visitors avoid stereotypes
• Beyond information, the guide encourages tourist participation in small acts of positive change, such as supporting local businesses

Examples of a "Working Towards Change" Tour Guide

• In a historical city the guide will highlight the challenges faced by marginalized communities
• In a natural environment they will educate visitors to threats of endangered species
• In rural area the guide will share information about local farming practices

Benefits OF A Change Tourism Guide

• Tourist gain a deeper understanding of a situation
• Positive impact on the community
• Guide has an opportunity to advocate

Education for Tour Guides

• They need to complete a tourism-related course, often including local history, geography, culture, and language
• They will then need to get a License by passing an exam

Key Points Regarding Tour Guide Education:

• Courses will cover; local history, cultural landmarks, tourism regulations, and customer service
• Training is conducted across various levels of tourism training centres
• Regions will require individuals to sit through a practical exam to be certified
• Tour guides can expand their certifications to specialised versions

Skills for a Tour Guide

• Strong communication
• In-depth local knowledge
• Organizational skills
• Customer service skills

Tour Guide Curriculum in the Philippines

• It focuses on researching information, managing visitor arrangement
• The TESDA curriculum covers:
• Researching information relevant to the tour
• Managing arrangements for visitors
• Accompanying and guiding visitors according to itinerary

Philippines Tour Guiding - Skills Covered:

• Interpreting of symbols, directing layouts
• Explaining procedures
• Confirming schedules
• Handling pre-arrival activities
• Complaint resolution

Aspects to Consider when Tour Guiding in the Philippines:

• A professional tour guide is accredited with the Department of Tourism
• There are specializations to choose like guiding for nature and touring for cultural and historical sites
• Language proficiency is an essential skill, proficiency in English and potentially additional languages

The Mabuhay Guide Program in the Philippines

• Created to assist top quality guides catering to business travelers
• Out of 50 applicant's only 25 were chosen to take the course
• 21 trainees were successful

Tour Professional - Steps to Selection:

-Tour guides complete a screening panel interview -They undertake 6 weeks of lecture and actual training -Graduation

Classification of Tours According to Movement:

• Domestic: Travel within the nation
• Inbound: Tours who conduct tours of foreign nationals
• Outbound: Tours that take national abroad

Tour Professional: Roles:

• Tour Guide: Leads tours and gives professional advice and support to tourists
• Tour Coordinator: Manages accommodation and transportation
• Tour Escort: Employed as a professional by the travel agency to assist the guest
• Travel Agent: Solves travel-related issues on behalf of guests

Tour Guide - Character Traits:

-Accepts authority -Attentive and Focused -Candid -Caring -Cheerful -Conclusive -Confident -Considerate -Dedicated -Dependable -Dynamic -Friendly -Modest -Motivated

• Polite -Prompt

Explore tourism's economic impacts, the roles of tour guides beyond standard duties, and infrastructure development. Analyze travel's environmental footprint, tour guide specializations, and training components. Understand itinerary adjustments based on group interests.