Lesson 3 - How To Become A Tour Guide

Summary

This script outlines the essential qualities and steps to become a professional tour guide. It emphasizes the importance of being people-oriented, energetic, knowledgeable, trustworthy, patient, organized, punctual, adaptable, resourceful, and ethical. Highlighting the need for language skills and adherence to professional standards, it guides aspiring guides through acquiring necessary qualifications and suggests starting with specific attractions before progressing to broader tours.

Takeaways

• 😀 A professional tour guide must be people-oriented, enjoying interaction with people from various backgrounds.
• 🏃‍♂️ Tour guiding requires physical fitness due to the need for constant walking, talking, and moving between locations.
• 🌍 A love for the destinations being guided is crucial, as passion makes the tour commentary more engaging and memorable.
• 📚 Knowledge about the destination is essential, including natural facts, historical stories, cultural lifestyle, and local attractions.
• 💼 Trustworthiness is key for handling important documents, luggage, and money, establishing an honest working ethic.
• 🕰 Patience is necessary to deal with various issues such as traffic, flight delays, and lost passengers, maintaining a calm mindset.
• 📝 Organization is vital, with the need to plan and prepare for all necessary documents and information to avoid unprofessionalism.
• ⏰ Punctuality is important; tour guides should be the first to arrive and ensure adherence to tour schedules.
• 🔄 Adaptability and flexibility are needed to handle last-minute changes in tours and come up with new solutions quickly.
• 🤔 Resourcefulness and creativity help differentiate tour guides, especially in unexpected situations requiring immediate solutions.
• 🏛 Ethical standards must be maintained, avoiding unprofessional incentives that could compromise the tour's integrity.
• 🗣️ Language skills, particularly multilingual abilities, are advantageous for communicating with customers from around the world.
• 📜 Following standards and licensing regulations ensures professionalism and credibility within the tour guiding sector.

Q & A

What are the key personal qualities required for a professional tour guide?

A professional tour guide must be people-oriented, energetic, in good health, passionate about the destinations they guide, knowledgeable, trustworthy, patient, organized, punctual, adaptable, resourceful, creative, and ethical.

Why is physical fitness important for a tour guide?

Physical fitness is important because the job involves ongoing walking and talking, constant moving on and off vehicles, and working both outdoors and indoors, especially during the peak tourism season.

How does a tour guide demonstrate their love for the destinations they are guiding?

A tour guide demonstrates their love for the destinations by feeling passionate about the locations, portraying the sites with interest and facts, and adding a touch of personal experience to make the tour commentary memorable.

What kind of knowledge does a tour guide need to establish credibility?

A tour guide needs to know everything about the destination, including natural facts, historical stories, cultural lifestyle, city attractions, local restaurants, and the do's and don'ts to provide informative and interesting commentary.

Why is trustworthiness important for a tour guide when handling documents, luggage, and money?

Trustworthiness is important to establish an honest working ethic, ensuring that customers and the company feel comfortable with the tour guide handling important documents, luggage, and money for entrance fees or other tour-related costs.

How does a tour guide maintain patience during various issues on tours?

A tour guide maintains patience by having a calm and collective mindset, staying flexible in various situations, and coming up with the best solutions to help customers, such as dealing with traffic, flight delays, or lost passengers.

What does being organized mean for a professional tour guide?

Being organized means being well-prepared at all times, knowing where to be and what to bring, having a checklist for necessary documents, booking confirmations, guest lists, and ensuring everything is clear to avoid wasting time and appearing unprofessional.

Why is punctuality crucial for a tour guide?

Punctuality is crucial as tour guides need to follow the tour itineraries and programs, being on time and often earlier than anyone else to create a good impression and wait for customers at departure points.

How can a tour guide be adaptable and flexible during tours?

A tour guide can be adaptable and flexible by being trained to handle last-minute changes in tours due to transportation or other aspects, and by coming up with new solutions to operate within the trip, maintaining a good connection and relationship with customers.

What ethical standards should a tour guide maintain, and why?

A tour guide should maintain an ethical standard by not accepting incentives in the form of money or gifts to take tourists to certain places, sites, or shops not in the original itinerary. This is to avoid unprofessional behavior and to uphold the integrity of the profession.

What is the importance of language skills for a tour guide working with customers from around the world?

Language skills are important for a tour guide as they provide a great advantage in communicating with customers from different backgrounds and ensure effective interpersonal skills throughout the trip.

What role does the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations play in setting standards for tour guides?

The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations sets high-level professionalism within the tour guiding sector, develops a code of guiding practice for member guides, and ensures that guides provide professional services that are objective, free from prejudice, and promote respect for the environment, wildlife, sites, and local customs.

How can prospective tour guides acquire relevant qualifications and start their career?

Prospective tour guides can acquire relevant qualifications by doing thorough research in their desired area, working in specific attractions like museums or art galleries to gain focus, and obtaining general qualifications in tourism that cover core subjects like communication skills, problem-solving, and local geography and history.

What licensing regulations are in place to protect visitors and ensure professionalism among tour guides?

Licensing regulations are in place to ensure that visitors are not subjected to harassment at popular attractions and are not exploited by inexperienced individuals posing as tour guides. These regulations may require a tour guide license, depending on the city's regulations, and are best checked with the City Council before starting the job.

Outlines

00:00

🧳 Essential Qualities of a Tour Guide

This paragraph outlines the personal qualities and job requirements necessary for a professional tour guide. It emphasizes the importance of being people-oriented, energetic, in good health, and having a love for the destinations being guided. A tour guide must also be knowledgeable about the destination, trustworthy with handling important documents and money, patient in dealing with various issues, organized, punctual, adaptable, flexible, resourceful, creative, and ethical. Additionally, language skills and excellent interpersonal abilities are highlighted as advantageous for effective communication with tourists from around the world.

05:00

🏛 Becoming a Professional Tour Guide

The second paragraph focuses on the process of becoming a professional tour guide, including adhering to standards and licensing regulations set by organizations like the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. It discusses the importance of providing professional service, acting fairly, protecting the reputation of tourism, and respecting the environment and local customs. The paragraph also touches on national organizations that set standards for tour guides and the necessity of acquiring professional qualifications. It suggests starting a career by working at specific attractions and gradually progressing to local and international tour guiding. The paragraph concludes with the recommendation to research and acquire relevant qualification certificates to begin a career in tour guiding.

Keywords

💡Tour Guide

A 'Tour Guide' is a professional who leads groups on tours, providing information on places visited and ensuring the safety and satisfaction of tourists. In the script, the role of a tour guide is central to the narrative, emphasizing the importance of personal qualities and professional skills required for the job.

💡People-Oriented

'People-Oriented' refers to the characteristic of being focused on or having a strong interest in interacting with people. The script highlights this as a critical personal quality for a tour guide, who must enjoy dealing with people from diverse backgrounds and occupations.

💡Physical Fitness

'Physical Fitness' is the state of being physically fit and healthy. The script mentions that tour guiding requires a certain level of physical fitness due to the nature of the job involving continuous walking, talking, and moving on and off vehicles.

💡Destination

A 'Destination' is a place to which someone is going or where something is sent. The script stresses the importance of a tour guide having a love for the destinations they are guiding, as this passion helps in making the tour commentary more engaging and memorable.

💡Knowledgeable

'Knowledgeable' means having a lot of information or understanding about a particular subject. The script points out that a tour guide needs to be thoroughly knowledgeable about the destination, including natural facts, historical stories, and cultural lifestyle, to establish credibility and provide informative commentary.

💡Trustworthiness

'Trustworthiness' is the quality of being trustworthy or reliable. In the context of the script, a tour guide must be trustworthy as they handle important documents, luggage, and money, which is why an honest working ethic is critical to the profession.

💡Patience

'Patience' is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. The script describes patience as necessary for dealing with various issues on tours, such as traffic, flight delays, or lost passengers.

💡Organized

'Organized' means having a systematic or methodical arrangement. The script emphasizes the importance of being organized for a tour guide, as it involves careful planning and preparation to ensure punctuality and professionalism.

💡Punctual

'Punctual' refers to the quality of arriving at or doing something at the agreed or proper time. According to the script, punctuality is essential for a tour guide to create a good impression and adhere to the tour itineraries and programs.

💡Adaptable

'Adaptable' means capable of adjusting to new conditions or different situations. The script mentions that a tour guide needs to be adaptable and flexible to handle last-minute changes in tours, which is crucial for maintaining a good trip experience.

💡Ethical

'Ethical' relates to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these. The script discusses the importance of maintaining an ethical standard as a tour guide, avoiding unprofessional practices such as taking incentives to divert tourists to certain places or shops.

💡Language Skill

'Language Skill' refers to the ability to use a language fluently and effectively. The script notes that as a tour guide, having language skills, especially the ability to speak more than one language, is advantageous for communicating with tourists from around the world.

💡Licensing Regulations

'Licensing Regulations' are the rules and requirements for obtaining a license to practice a profession legally. The script explains that licensing regulations are in place to protect tourists from harassment and to ensure that tour guides are qualified and professional.

Highlights

Tour guides must be people-oriented and enjoy interacting with people from various occupations.

Physical fitness is crucial for tour guides due to the job's demands of constant walking and talking.

Passion for the destinations being guided is essential for portraying sites with interest and facts.

Knowledge about the destination, including natural facts, history, culture, and local attractions, is necessary to establish credibility.

Tour guides should be trustworthy when handling important documents, luggage, and money.

Patience is required to deal with various issues such as traffic, flight delays, and lost passengers.

Being organized and well-prepared is key to professional tour guiding.

Punctuality is important for tour guides to create a good impression and follow the tour itinerary.

Adaptability and flexibility are necessary to handle last-minute changes during tours.

Resourcefulness and creativity help tour guides to manage unexpected situations and maintain a good trip.

Ethical standards are important for tour guides to avoid unprofessional incentives and maintain integrity.

Language skills, especially multilingual abilities, provide a significant advantage in tour guiding.

Interpersonal skills and commitment to customers are essential from the start to the end of the trip.

The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations sets high standards for professionalism in tour guiding.

National organizations and licensing regulations ensure the quality of tour guides and protect visitors.

Prospective tour guides should research and acquire relevant qualifications and certificates.

Starting a career in tour guiding can begin with working at specific attractions before progressing to broader areas.

A general qualification in tourism can provide a foundation for prospective tour guides.

Practical tour guiding experience in local areas and attractions is part of the training process.

Transcripts

pain arena tour guides lesson three

how to become a tour guide

one consider your personal qualities and

job requirements a professional tour

guide must possess and establish these

below factors people-oriented this job

is all about interaction with people it

is a critical personal character that

one must already had you must enjoy

dealing with people of all occupations

such as customers suppliers your

colleagues energetic and in good health

tour guiding requires a certain level of

physical fitness as the job involves

ongoing walking and talking constant

moving on and off vehicles unusual

working our outdoor and indoor fitness

is especially crucial during the peak of

tourism season when taking sick leaves

without prior notice might result in

stranded coach full of tourists without

a tour guide a love for destinations you

are guiding feeling passionate about any

locations that you are tour guiding will

give you more motivation in portraying

the sites with interests and facts which

involve a touch of your personal

experience positive only those are

essential to make the tour commentary

memorable to your group of visitors if

you have to pretend to like a place you

shouldn't be tour guiding their

knowledgeable to establish your

credibility as a tour guide you need to

know thoroughly everything about the

destination from the natural facts

historical stories cultural lifestyle

the city's attraction local restaurants

the do's and the don'ts this requires

you to do an additional research besides

the basic knowledge in the training

courses you need to work hard in

expanding your own knowledge so your

commentary is more informative and

interesting knowledge is needed to

provide better services to your

customers in order to achieve more

success in your career trustworthiness

as a tour guide you will be handling

important documents luggages and money

to pay for entrance fees or other tour

related costs therefore it is critical

that you establish an honest working

ethic so that customers and company feel

comfortable being on the tour you got as

such police checks are most likely the

first requirement prior to your

application to any potential employer

patience there are a lot of issues on

tours that will test your patience such

as traffic's flight delays passengers

who get lost or lost track of time

dealing with the local offices or

government and so on

having a calm and collective mindset is

necessary to keep yourself flexible at

all kinds of situations in order to come

up to the best solutions and also to

help your customers better be cool and

mindful with your passengers suppliers

and the general public

organized timing is everything and

therefore to be well prepared at all

times is essential to being a

professional tour guide knowing where to

be when to be and what to bring will

require you to carefully plan on your

own checklist for all the necessary

documents booking confirmation guest

lists train or flight information

each customers might be different so

ensure everything is clear so you don't

waste times and looking unprofessional

punctual as a tour guide you will need

to follow the schedule of the tour

itineraries and programs not only must

you be on time but you have to be early

than anyone else be the first person to

arrive at any departure point to wait

for your customers is the way to create

a good impression from the beginning

with your group adaptable and flexible

tours are subject to change in the last

minute from time to time due to

transportation or other aspect of the

tour therefore a professional tour guide

needs to be trained in being adaptable

with all types of changes that might

occur during the tour moreover being

flexible to come up with new solutions

to operate within the trip will not only

help to maintain a good trip but also

build up a better connection and

relationship with your customers

suppliers and a resourceful and creative

as a tour guide you need to expect the

unexpected

despite being provided with all

itinerary passengers and transportation

your passengers might get sick during

the trip there are more people added or

less people to the group changing route

or one of the attractions you are

scheduled to visit is closed

in such situations it's no time to be

confused or stressed out but to

immediately come up with other ways to

fulfill the trip the ability to be

creative is one thing that

differentiates tour guides those who are

more creative and resourceful will

indeed appear more reliable to customers

and suppliers ethical it is important

that you maintain an ethical standard

for your profession as a tour guide you

might get offered incentives under

monetary or gifts forms to take tourists

to certain places sites or shops that

are not in the original established

itinerary in order for them to buy

something from that particular

destination

this is unprofessional and is considered

forbidden thus it is necessary to keep

in mind and not fallen into this trap

language skill as a tour guide you will

be working with customers from all

around the world therefore being able to

speak more than one language will give

you a great advantage when communicating

with customers

moreover tour guides need to possess

excellent interpersonal skill and the

ability to work unremittingly for their

customers from the beginning of the trip

until the end when customers are

returned safely

to follow the standards and licensing

regulation the World Federation of

tourist guide associations is an

organization that is charged with

setting high level professionalism

within the tour guiding sector and has

developed a code of guiding practice for

its member guides to provide a

professional service to visitors

professional in care and commitment and

professional in providing an objective

understanding of the place visited free

from prejudice or propaganda to ensure

that as far as possible what is

presented as fact is true and that a

clear distinction is made between this

truth and stories legends traditions or

opinions to act fairly and reasonable in

all dealings with all those who engage

the services of guides and with

colleagues working in all aspects of

tourism to protect the reputation of

tourism in our country by making every

endeavor to ensure that guided groups

treat with respect the environment

wildlife sites and monuments and also

local customs and sensitivities as

representatives of the host country to

welcome visitors and act in such a way

as to bring credit to the country

visited and promoted as a tourist

destination

there are many national organizations

around the world that set standards for

tour guides operating within their

boundaries in some countries tour guides

are accredited by these organizations

acquiring professional qualifications

that are verified by the tour guiding

associations licensing regulations are

in place to ensure that visitors are not

subjected to harassment at popular

attractions nor are they ripped off by

inexperienced people posing as tour

guides in some cities depends on its

regulations a tour guide license might

be required therefore it is best to

check with the City Council before

starting your job 3 get tour guiding

training and qualifications one of the

key qualifications to be tell a

professional tour guide is the

up-to-date broad knowledge about the

located destination each country has its

own tour guiding licensing accreditation

system thus we recommend that

prospective tour guides do a thoroughly

research in the area they want to follow

in order to acquire relevant

qualification certificates you can begin

a career in tour guiding by working in a

specific attraction such as a museum

castle or art gallery we're learning

about the attraction is easy as the area

of focus is small

once you have established yourself as an

attraction or side tour guide you may

then progress to tour guiding in your

local area before setting your sights on

international tour guiding as a

foundation to any destination or

geographical knowledge a general

qualification in tourism is a great

place to start each country has its own

such qualifications and their content is

remarkably similar core subjects will

include the tourism industry

communication skills problem-solving

Health & Safety and dealing with

emergencies presentation techniques

local geography local culture and

history practical tour guiding in the

local area practical tour guiding in

local attractions tour guiding

management and administration

finished lesson three thank for your

watching