Look Inside
Being a tour guide can be a full time career, or a casual or part time job.
This book explores the job of a tour guide: what tour guides do the knowledge and skills they need, and the diversity of work opportunities that await anyone who wishes to work in this role. Tour guides are not the same as tourism planners or managers. Tour guide work is very much “coal face” work; interacting face to face with tourists or clients, giving them a positive experience. Tour guides need to have strong people skills, self confidence, an ability to communicate and a knowledge of the places and experiences they are leading their clients through.
Pages: 51
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 ROLE OF THE TOUR GUIDE
What is a tour guide?
Types of tour guide
Historical
City tour guides
Museum
Park
Nature
Adventure
The role of the tour guide
What are the tour guide’s responsibilities?
Sharing knowledge
Carrying out research
Tour guide skills
Leadership
Communication
Organisation
CHAPTER 2 PRACTICAL SKILLS USED IN TOURS
Initial introductions and establishing rapport
Selling your passion – introducing yourself and why you love being a guide
Customer research – establish your group’s interests at the start
Personalising a tour - adapting your tour to fit your group’s interests
Learning names – hints and tips
Identifying access and equity issues (wheelchairs/buggies/ additional sensory needs)
Voice projection and presentation skills
What kind of stories to tell?
Tell, tell, tell (tell them what you will talk about, talk about it, summarise key points)
Building affect and emotional connection with your audience
Keep things short and simple
Maintaining the group’s interest and involvement
Introducing age/interest appropriate games or activities
Time management
Preparing for the group’s arrival
Choosing a meeting spot
Managing parking or transport issues
Comfort breaks
Keeping the tour together (and moving at a group-appropriate pace)
Running a trial tour
CHAPTER 3 ORGANISING TOUR ACTIVITIES
Knowing who is in the group
Ability
Age
Carrying out research effectively
Scheduling
Punctuality
Calculating time required for different activities
Selecting complementary activities
Adapting
Creativity
CHAPTER 4 WORKING WITH OTHER SUPPLIERS
AND ORGANISATIONS
Accommodation
Check-in
Adventure accommodation issues
Catering
Managing multiple dietary requirements when camping
Managing multiple dietary requirements from accommodations/hotels
Transport
Choosing transport services
Equipment
Linking with other organisations
CHAPTER 5 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR TOUR GUIDES
How to get jobs as a tour guide
Setting up own business
Developing a USP
Marketing a tour business
Pestle analysis – why it’s relevant
Assessing risk
How to plan for and managing risks
A risk assessment is a document which is created risk assessments
What do we mean by a risk on a tour?
Requirements for licenses or permits
Insurance
Further reading and study
More ebooks available
Courses available