Jade Lyn V.

Lopez
BSTM 2-B

10 Commandments of Tour Guiding

1. Love the tourist

Tour guides must love the tourist genuinely because they are the one reasons why tour guide
exist. Sincerity is easy to see, it shows when one id passionate about on what he or she does.

2. Honor and promote your country

Tourist appreciate interesting positive information about the places they visit, sharing good stuff
about he’s or her own country can help a tour guide keeps the tourist attention and of course
possibly seeing them again.

3. Respect local culture

Respect is the basic trait that all tour guides must have, tour guides should follow rules and even
proper conduct at places visited and they must be polite to the host or the people who welcome
the tour group at the destination.

4. Be professional at all times

During tours tour guides are at work, does they must show professionalism at all times, which
means they must carry themselves properly so that they will get the same respect that he or she
shows to the host and the tourist.

5. Keep on learning
There is no education quite like the lessons of child-well even if one has visit the destination
several times. Tour guide must continue to learn from nature and even from the people around
them. They must always strive to sharpen their abilities as well such as learning new trends and
of course technologies.

6. Communicate properly
Communication is important aspects of a tour guide profession, if a tourist is travelling with the
tour guide the others ability to communicate briefly contributes to the tourist travel experience.

7. Do not be late
A tour guides form of quality is a first sign of professionalism and its sign of respect from a
tourist.
8. Do not provide false information
Honesty is the best policy in any profession, tour guides must day truthful information and admit
if he or she doesn’t know the answer to the question.

9. Do not provide illegal services

A tour guide must not break any law in a country or a city on he or she id working in, they must
not provide nor tolerate such services to the tourist.

10. Take care of your body

A tour guide must protect he’s or her own body from too much defect of element of he or she
exposed in every tour, does he or she must wear proper and comfortable clothes and get ample
rest during tours.

Some people do guiding in their native towns or even abroad without

considering it as a very serious profession. In fact, everyone is a little bit of a
tour guide. While you lead your family or friends, or just help a foreigner to get
around and find the way. It is in our nature and instincts – we like to show
others that we know something. And we get excited when we guide other
people in their deeds or decisions.

Firstly, Jerulita Tour Guides are a team of people who like an interaction with
people. Secondly, they like history, culture, heritage, geography, architecture,
religion, you name it. Thirdly, Jerulita Tour guides have to follow the tradition
and standard of service providing. This standard was coined by Yulik, the
founder, and also by You. Yes, our clients have always been highly curious
and hungry for knowledge. Maybe, a bit too demanding sometimes. But we
love it, as it made us what we are today. Finally, Jerulita Tour Guides love
what they do, and smile when they come to work.

We make seminars every once in a while and share the expertise and
knowledge and teach each other to follow the next rules.

#1 Prep in Advance

Most tour guides specialize in a certain geographical area and usually know it
very well. But sometimes, during a tailored tour or due to a client’s special
request, the itinerary can vary from what they’re used to. It’s important to go
through the expectations and make sure the program is exactly what the
clients will expect. As a Jerulita tour guide, I consider the detailed program
and schedule, as a contract between my guests and the company. Matching
the expectation is really important, and when all is done, a tour guide has to
get ready to fullfil the contract in the best way.

Click here for one-day tour programs.

#2 Contact your client beforehand to get a sense of

expectations

It’s always a great idea to get in touch with a client in advance. It’s important
to introduce yourself, and get an idea of what the guests are looking for and
what they expect. If you are aware of their interests–art or music, the offbeat
or the general–then you can tailor the tour’s nuances to each guest
specifically. It’ll give them the satisfaction of being taken care of, and instill
confidence in them of your company’s professionalism. What’s more, you’ll be
able to prepare yourself and your tour better to meet their needs. Frankly
speaking, Jerulita Tour Guides not always have time to do it, but you will
definitely be contacted by one of our team members prior to your tour as a
reminder and afterward for feedback.

#3 Send a reminder e-mail – people like when they are

taken care of

A day or a few days in advance, I find it’s generally good practice if you send
a reminder email, confirming the meeting time and place. It will cost you
literally nothing, and people will feel more secure. When travelers are arriving
in a foreign place, they can feel disoriented. It will make a difference if they
feel like they have a friend on the ground. Guests will feel secure and looked
after.

You can think that it is an automatic system generated an e-mail. No, we do it

ourselves, as we care about you.

 
#4 Wash your car before you meet clients

It’s the little details that make all the difference. Polish your shoes, clean your
car, dress appropriately, and don’t overdo it with luxury accessories. Be polite
and maintain a healthy personal distance. Show your guests that you respect
them and their time with these little details. And always, wash your car.

#5 Don’t be late to pick them up

First impressions are everything! The worst start with a client to be late to pick
them up. My grandma used to say, “I would better wait for a train for half an
hour than it would not wait for me even a minute.” Arrive early. At Jerulita
Travel, we really care about our clients. Showing up late is inconsiderate of
their time and what it took for them to travel to the destination. Jerulita Tour
Guides are required to arrive at the meeting point 10-15 minutes earlier. In my
personal experience, many times travelers come earlier as well. These 10
minutes give you a credit to have an informal conversation and win the
sympathy of the clients.

#6 Be an informative and entertaining tour guide

I shouldn’t have to share this with you, but be both informative and
entertaining. A great tour guide shares a wealth of information and balances
all the history, fun facts, anecdotes–with good humor, jokes, and interesting
ideas. Help your guests absorb the information with engaging stories. Tours
aren’t supposed to be dusty lectures or mind-boggling courses on history.
Extract the most interesting pieces of stories and history and stay
positive, amusing, charming, and compelling. Bring history and geography to
life.

#7 Do not exaggerate with testing the knowledge of a

client

Many tour guides like to address their clients with questions before launching
into their stories: Do you know why? You must know that… Most probably you
know that… everybody knows that… 
I find that such phrases can kill a conversation. They make people feel that
you know better and are more knowledgeable than them. Nobody likes that.
People pay you to tell them a story and to show the places, not for a pop quiz
or to test their knowledge. On the contrary – Jerulita Tour Guides give
compliments if they understand that you know things about their country.

#8 Don’t go overboard with the jokes

Good-natured humor is great, but I suggest tour guides not to tell more that
one joke per hour. A good joke can spice up a good story, and vice versa. But
too many jokes and you can come across as trivial. Another challenge of a
tour guide might be a person in a group who tells jokes more than it is
appropriate. We always try to find a polite way to stop their interruptions.
People join the tour to get the guiding and not to listen to jokes of the group
members.

#9 Let your clients ask questions

So there you are, all is well, you’re telling your clients a fascinating story.
Suddenly, a wild question appears! You might feel a bit bitter or upset that
your story is interrupted. What do you do? First of all, relax – the worst thing is
to respond with irritation. Secondly, you can either their question right away,
or say that you’ll come to it a bit later. If you answer right away, other guests
may feel like their time is being wasted. But if you dismiss the question, you
may insult your guest.

After hundreds of these types of situations, I’ve gathered that it’s usually the
best practice to give at first a short answer, then follow up with more details to
this question when it’s appropriate. Jerulita Travel Guides find a quiet moment
to pull them aside and tell them all the juicy details. Or, in the instance that
their question is actually in the tour program, then you can say graciously, with
a smile: “I’ll come to that in a moment.”

Another option is to ask the group if they’re interested in hearing the answer,
and then you have the group’s permission to go ahead.

#10 Tour guides shouldn’t stand in one place too long

Tours often involve a lot of standing and lecturing on the guide’s part. Too
long, however, and you may lose your guests’ interest. Make a point to always
keep on your toes and move every so often. Try to find places with benches
so that people are comfortable and at ease while listening. If you can
incorporate a takeaway coffee, that’s even better. The more you take care of
your guests, the more they will like you and what you tell them.

If the area isn’t the best for comfort, try to stick to the point and don’t stand the
same scenery for longer than 10-15 minutes–some guides may even prefer 8-
10 minutes.

#11 Summarize!

Whether it’s food, history, religion, art — you’re deeply familiar with your
subject, you swim in it like a fish in the sea. But don’t forget that people on a
tour hear it for the first time in their life. Even if they’ve read a bit in
preparation, it’s largely brand-new to them. That’s why it’s useful to
summarize your content every so often, which systemizes it in their memory.
This way, they better retain what they hear. You care about your clients, that
they will go home enriched by your tour, and have a story to bring home. A
tour guide’s work is all about taking care of clients.

#13 Show the client that you love what you do

You love your job – otherwise, why would you be a tour guide? In every tour,
choose at least one topic you like more than others and show off your
passion. Allow people to enter your world and your excitement. Speak like
you’re talking about it for the very first time, with a close friend. Your guests
will take notice and will remember this piece of the tour more than the rest.

#14  Last Tips

Don’t forget the restroom and coffee/tea stops. Be polite. Keep a healthy

social distance. Avoid political debates. Refer to your personal experiences
and stories, and Smile Smile Smile!

A tour guide can easily make or break an experience based on cultural sensitivity. When
they embrace a group’s diversity, everyone feels welcome. On the flip side,
miscommunication, impatience, or blatant intolerance often leads to unhappy guests — no
matter how exciting a tour may be. 

Skip ahead to 15 tour guide do’s and don’ts for cultural sensitivity.

A tour example of cultural sensitivity gone wrong

I know this all too well from a night jungle walk in Costa Rica. Although we spotted a
tarantula and a couple of active snakes, our tour guide ended up being the scariest sight of
the evening. His constant shouting frightened the group and probably the two-toed sloth we
never saw. But the most horrifying part was how he treated my friend from Germany. 

Instead of talking about the creepy critters and nocturnal animals with good storytelling
skills, each member of the group had to take turns reciting from a fact sheet. Already, this
was a tedious way to present the information — not to mention it took us back to grade
school and the anxiety of reading out loud.

For the native English-speakers, this wasn’t a big deal. But my friend felt uncomfortable the
entire time and how the tour guide reacted made it worse. As she struggled with every
word, the more frustrated he became. At one point, he even ripped the fact sheet out of her
hands and said she couldn’t read anymore. 

Needless to say, we walked away wishing we hadn’t booked in the first place — which is
something a tour operator hopes to never hear.

Why is being a cultural tour guide important?

When you work in the tourism industry, you encounter guests from all walks of life. It’s a
perk because you get to learn about other cultures without traveling full-time. But with it
comes the responsibility of respecting and adapting to cultural differences, social norms,
and language barriers. Part of that starts with proper tour guide training. Why?
1. Tour guides interact face to face

Without a doubt, your tour guides spend the most time with guests. They take phone
bookings, check-in arrivals, show them around and entertain, offer travel advice, handle
complaints, answer questions, and so much more. There are countless opportunities for a
tiny slip up, and one cultural faux-pas can turn into a negative review. 
If your tour guides know how to interact with guests appropriately — regardless of cultural
background — you should have nothing to worry about. What does that look like? Check
out our tips for effective intercultural communication below.
2. Tour guides are brand ambassadors

Your logo isn’t the only face of your brand — your tour guides are, too. Everything they do
and say is a direct reflection of your tour company. When they make a fool of themselves,
they also make a fool of your business. Put another way, if they offend a guest, it shows you
condone that behaviour. 

To ensure your tour guides are on the same page, go over your mission statement and core
values during the onboarding process, and as a refresher for team meetings. Let them know
what you stand for as a tour company, and why their words and actions should always
align.

3. Tour guides represent the destination

Chances are your guests will meet other locals during their trip who can offer a glimpse into
the community and way of life. But for the most part, your tour guides give the best insight
because of the lengthy interaction and in-depth conversation they have with them. 

So essentially, your tour guides act as the welcoming committee. By being culturally
sensitive, they demonstrate a hospitable attitude on behalf of your destination — which can
influence a guest’s overall perception of the people and place. If they get warm, fuzzy
feelings, they might boast about it back home, and even consider living there one day.

4. Tour guides set an example for tourists

Kindness is a chain reaction. It only takes one person to show acceptance for many more to
pay it forward. That is to say, a tour guide who takes the time to learn about another’s
culture — their background, traditions, and customs — can inspire guests to have similar
conversations outside of the tour.

But more so, when they treat everyone in the group with respect, there’s a better chance
your guests will do the same and leave a positive social impact of tourism. Ultimately, that’s
what travel is all about — making new connections and embracing cultures different from
our own.

15 tips for effective intercultural communication

Even if a tour guide claims to be worldly and knowledgeable, it’s easy to forget about cross
cultural communication once they get into the routine of facts, stories, and jokes. So here is
a cheat sheet they can use as a constant reminder:
8 Do’s

1. Research before guests arrive: With Checkfront’s Guest Form, your tour guides

can find out where guests are from and do a quick Google Search or use an app
like CultureMee to see what cultural expectations they need to keep in mind. 
2. Speak slowly and deliberately: When using our native tongue, many of us tend to
talk fast and mumble. But that makes it challenging for those who speak a different
language to understand. So have your tour guides practice slowing it down and
enunciating — public speaking is all about the delivery anyway.
3. Treat every guest equally: One place isn’t better than the next. Your tour guides
shouldn’t pick and choose which guests to pay the most attention to based on their
unique accents. 
4. Learn how to say their names: Dale Carnegie says, “A person’s name is to him or
her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” When your tour guides
say a guest’s name correctly and use it in conversation, they make them feel
valued. 
5. Respect physical boundaries: This should be standard practice anyways. Tour
guides should never touch a guest — unless it’s offering a hand for an awkward step
or helping with gear related to the tour. 
6. Show interest in where they’re from: The number one way to engage with guests
is to ask them questions. Since most people love talking about where they live or
grew up, your tour guides can start with that.  
 7. Explain more than once: Not everyone is going to understand the first time. If
someone asks for clarification, your tour guides should be more than willing to repeat
something differently. 
8. Travel to unfamiliar places: The best way tour guides can learn about other
cultures is to go out and explore themselves. Encourage them to travel in the off-
season and visit places off the tourist trail.

7 Don’ts

1. Use slang or idioms: Anyone who’s learning another language starts with the
basics first. So there might be a little miscommunication if your tour guides drop in
local lingo or even popular idioms like “speak of the devil” or “a penny for your
thoughts.”
2. Get impatient with questions: There are no wrong questions. Even if someone
asks something that seems like common sense, your tour guide should never make
a guest feel bad about it because to them; it might not be. 
3. Stereotype nationalities: While some guests will laugh at what their country is
known for, others might quickly get offended. That’s why it’s best to avoid poking fun
at stereotypes altogether. Let your guests be self-deprecating if they want to
instead. 
4. Discount the feelings of one: When everyone in the group is from one place, and
there’s only one from somewhere else, that one guest should still receive the same
attention and catering. 
5. Use offensive hand gestures: One secret to excellent public speaking is animation,
but there’s a risk of giving someone the wrong signal. So, your tour guides should
 become familiar with rude hand gestures from around the world and get out of the
habit of using them.
6. Make inappropriate jokes: This might seem like a given, but a tour guide can easily
cross the line once they build rapport and banter with guests. They can still be funny
with clean and family-friendly tour guide jokes. 
7. Expect a tip from everyone: In some countries, tipping isn’t customary for customer
service. While you hope travelers brush up on local etiquette before their trip, your
tour guides shouldn’t hold it against them if a guest leaves without a monetary thank-
you. 

Final thoughts
Handling cultural differences as a tour guide isn’t always easy — especially with everything
else they have to juggle. But as long as they do their best, guests will notice and appreciate
the effort.

10 QUALITIES EVERY TOUR GUIDE SHOULD HAVE

Part of running a successful food tour company has nothing to do with business at all, but the people involved.
A hugely important aspect of running a business in the tourism sector is having people on your team who will
inspire travelers and locals to come back and tell their friends.

Thanks to our fantastic team of tour guides for Chicago Food Planet Food Tours, we’ve been able to do just
that. Because it takes the right kind of person to be a tour guide, we’ve made note of some of the qualities that
make for a successful guide.

1. STRONG COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
Being a guide is all about having strong communication skills. It’s ok to be a quiet person, but if you have to
communicate with new people on a daily basis, you just have to be able to do it well. On a basic level guides
should be great at projecting their voices across a group, and be able to do so in a clear and easy to understand
way. On an interpersonal level, being great at knowing how to communicate well with people is a huge asset.
This leads us to skill #2…

2. PERSONABLE & OUTGOING

This skill takes communication to the next level. Guides shouldn’t just be able to communicate well, they have
to be great conversationalists with outgoing personalities; what we call the “Star of the Show” quality, which
isn’t something you can teach. There can be a bit of social awkwardness when a new group of strangers show
up, and a guide should be able to break that immediately to help people feel comfortable talking to each other
and their guide. This ensures later on they feel open to add comments or add questions along the way.
3. A MEMORY LIKE A STEAL TRAP
Tour guides need to retain a lot of stats and facts when walking people around a city- but they also need to be a
great story-teller. Guides simply can’t get the information wrong, spend extra time trying to remember it or
spend the whole tour reading from a piece of paper. Their memory should be so good, that it seems as if
they’ve just always known these facts when they recite them. But most of all, the story needs to sound like it’s
their own.

4. IMPROVISATIONAL SKILLS
We’re not demanding your guides put on an improv show, but the ability to change things up on the fly and
play off the energy of the group is important. Attendees will likely have additional questions or comments
along the way. These things shouldn’t throw your guide for a loop, they should be able to adjust their script as
needed. Sticking too closely to it, could end up making your guests feel like there’s no room for them to say
anything at all.

5. JUST ENOUGH ENTHUSIASM

Just as guides will often play off the energy of the group, your attendees will likely feed off the energy of their
guide. Your guide has be enthusiastic about the thing they’re talking about, but not so enthusiastic that they fail
to sound genuine.

6. HUMOR
Just like being outgoing and enthusiastic, humor can be the perfect tool to cut any tensions and as always add
an extra layer of entertainment for guests.

7. PUNCTUALITY
Punctuality is a can’t do without quality for tour guides. If your guide isn’t on time to meet arriving attendees
at the meet up location there will be confusion, frustration and unhappy tour goers.

8. A KEEN SENSE OF DIRECTION

Outside of the fact that your tour guides should know where they’re going, they should also be able to help
direct guests. At least on our tours for Chicago Food Planet Food Tours, we start and end in different locations.
Often guides have to be prepared to give some general directions to help people get to where they need to be
when the tour is complete.
9. THE KNOWLEDGE OF A LOCAL
Anyone can memorize and recite facts. Though it’s not a requirement, some of the best guides are locals
themselves. What’s great about this quality is that in addition to the planned facts and statistics, they can bring
their own knowledge, experience and personal anecdotes to the tour. This can make a tour feel particularly
special for guests who are looking for a genuine experience outside the typical tourist attractions.

10. PASSION FOR THEIR CITY

Last but certainly not least, true passion and interest can take a tour from typical to outstanding. Anyone can
point and recite facts, but those who really love what they do can pass that passion onto tourists and locals to
make them feel it too. Plus those with passion for their city, bring their own experience to the tours they give.

When you’re hiring tour guides (or if you’re a tour guide yourself) what are the qualities that stand out to you
the most? Are we missing any from the list? Let us know in the comments or tweet us @foodtourpros.

http://www.foodtourpros.com/blog/10-qualities-every-tour-guide-should-have/

https://jerulita.lt/14-rules-jerulita-tour-guides-follow/

https://www.checkfront.com/importance-cultural-sensitivity-communication
https://www.scribd.com/document/462244633/10-commandments-docx