ACTIVITIES IN TOURGUIDING

FOR
THE WHOLE SEMESTER

JOHN ANGELO SIBAYAN

BSTM-2B
 CHAPTER 1|THE MEANING AND CLASSIFICATION OF
TOUR GUIDE

1. Explain the meaning of tour guide.

- Tourism Specialists who walk visitors through the most interesting

place of their region are known as guides. It is their responsibility to entertain
tourists to their location and to assist them in understanding the sights they are
seeing.

2. Describe the different types of tour guides.

 URBAN GUIDES - Helps the people who enjoy conveying a city's or

region's story region.
 GOVERNMENT GUIDES - states, local and national governments
employ guides to show their most important historic, cultural, political
and scenic facilities to visitors.
 DRIVER GUIDES - also called as “city guide”. The tour guide drives
while guiding.
 BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY GUIDE - Corporate tour guides are
employed by large companies that are usually a well-known corporation
or travel destination, though non-profit organizations often require
guides as well. They lead groups through factories, describing the
manufacturing process or history and mission of the business.
 ADVENTURE GUIDE - Adventure guide is one of the most exciting
types of tour guide job, they are the ones who are ready to embark upon
any adventure! Usually, they are in more organized excursions and
outings. As an adventure guide, you should be courageous and have the
passion to discover new things.
 TOUR MANAGERS - Tour managers ensure travel arrangements run
as smoothly as possible and provide holidaymakers with practical
support throughout their trip
 INTERPRETERS - Interpreters interpret verbal communication from
one language to another, and act as mediums where language barriers
exist. At times, Interpreters translate written communication from one
language to another. Interpreters not only work in tourism but also:
education, health care, insurance, legal and other industries.
 ESCORT INTERPRETERS - is one who accompanies foreign visitors
who are officially invited by the government.
  DOCENT OR VOLUNTEER GUIDES - Docents assist in the
development of educational programs and conduct special activities for
students, adults and families. readings and accompany other docents on
guided tours to gain knowledge and skills in leading groups.

3. Explain the primary duty of an escort interpreter.

- Interpreters facilitate communication between parties who speak two

different languages. They do this by interpreting, translating and re-
communicating both verbal and written messages from one language into
another. This includes both spoken languages and sign languages.

4. Discuss the role of a tour guide.

- Tour guides accompany groups of tourists to tourist places, whether on

day trips or longer stays, and provide information and insights to help them get
the most out of their visit.
 CHAPTER 2|THE HISTORY OF TOUR GUIDING

1. Discuss the history of tour guiding from the ancient empires to the
modern age.

Tour Guiding in the Ancient Empire

- The Ancient Empire travel developed from 3000 BC to 500 A.D.

Guides are named “periegetai” (leaders around) or exegetai (explainer) in the
Greek language. The tasks of “Proxemos” were to help fellow people travel
abroad. The first travel writer, Herodotus was able to provide numerous
references to guides. Negative in particular of guides who were inclined to
recite with great opportunity, dates, dialogues and other information about who
lived hundreds of years ago.

Tour guiding in the modern age

- During the 18th and 19th century travelers to and within the New
World were explorers rather than pleasure travelers. The first travelers were
ordinary often indigent explorers who traveled a lot to find a new way of life
Charles Dickens, Francis Trollope, and Alexis de Tocqueville (The 3 well
known European writers who visited the New World in the 19th century)
traveled widely and wrote comprehensive accounts of their travels but rarely
mentioned guides.

2. Describe tour guiding as a respected profession.

- In today's travel industry, tour guides are more important than ever.
Guides who drive business have the responsibility to enhance the travel
experience by keeping guests happy, safe and inspired.
 CHAPTER 3|THE TRAVELER

1. Explain the classification of traveler.

- Travelers have a wide range of classifications or categories based on

the type of travel they are engaged in. This is an important detail during travel
because it results in getting the appropriate travel insurance or the appropriate
visa for international flights. There are seven classification of travelers:
Explorers, Elite Travelers, Off-beat Tourists, Unusual Tourists, Incipient Mass
Tourists, Mass Tourists, Charter Tourists. There are also a classification of
group travels which is: Students Groups, Business Travelers, Incentive
Travelers and Family Traveler.

2.  Discuss the advantage of group travel.

- Traveling in a group allows one to meet new friends and exchange

experiences. This helps to add fun to travelling because of the many new
ideas that the individual members of the group come with. Travelling in a
group is also beneficial in that it allows you to lower your cost of travelling.
This is because there is the possibility of sharing such facilities as the guest
room, splitting food and drinks bills, and travelling costs as well. For example,
it is much cheaper for a group of 5 travelers to split the traveling cost of hiring
a cab, as opposed o a single traveler who would be expected to pay a similar
amount for the same distance.

3. Describe the different kinds of group travelers.

- Travelers have a wide range of classifications or categories based on

the type of travel they are engaged in. This is an important detail during travel
because it results in getting the appropriate travel insurance or the appropriate
visa for international flights. There are seven classification of travelers:
Explorers, Elite Travelers, Off-beat Tourists, Unusual Tourists, Incipient Mass
Tourists, Mass Tourists, Charter Tourists. There is also a classification of group
travels which is: Students Groups, Business Travelers, Incentive Travelers and
Family Traveler.

4. Explain the importance of human values to tour guides.

- They help tourists to have a positive experience and take care of their
guests as good as they can. This module teaches you on how to become such a
professional guide and shows you how to develop the skills and relevant
information that you will need to work as a guide. Guides have a multitude of
options.

5. Discuss the social responsibility of travelers.

- Responsible travel is the social and cultural notion of being aware

every time you travel. It goes down to the basics, as simple as understanding
and acknowledging the effects of your presence and actions on the places you
will visit and people you meet. It is the effort of trying your best to make it a
positive one.

-While travelling we will meet a diversity of peoples and cultures. Every

culture, religion, and way of life is subject to its own rules and traditions that
should be respected and understood, rather than judged. This respect translates
into simple, day-to-day attitudes. We all come from different backgrounds and
learnings and what might be normal to us at home might be when we travel.
Hosts take care of their guests as best as they can but might not know every
individual expectation. If unsure about certain, please ask and learn. It is your
first step in immersing yourself in the culture and gives you an authentic
experience.
 CHAPTER 4|VARIOUS ROLES OF TOUR GUIDES

1. Describe the primary role of tour guide.

- Tour guides accompany groups of visitors to tourist attractions,

whether on day trips or longer visits, and give them information and insights
that help them make the most of the experience. Potential tour guides should
be fit and healthy with lots of energy and confidence.

2. Explain the role of tour guide as a leader.

- A Tour Leader is a person who is in charge of the tour and manages

the trip. A Tour Guide is a person who is responsible for explaining sites,
providing travel information to travelers and answering their questions.

3. Evaluate the role of tour guide as an educator.

- Travel is a powerful teacher. Travel stimulates the exchange of

knowledge. It gives the travelers an opportunity to interact with the local
residents.

4. Evaluate the role of tour guide as a host.

- Since travel is a social activity, the guide’s role in travel consists of

several social occurrences. Hosts have many roles including those of
companion, mediator, advocate, entertainer, concierge, storyteller and others.

5. Discuss the role of tour guide as a conduit.

- The guide’s role as a conduit or channel or link is the most

important. It can be the most powerful and long-lasting. The role of conduit
cannot be separated from any other role because it is integral to all the
guide’s functions.
 CHAPTER 5 | QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL TOUR GUIDE

1. Describe the qualities of an ideal tour guide.

- There are specific traits that are highly desirable for effective guides.
Some of these traits are Enthusiasm, An outgoing and approachable nature,
Self-confidence, A proactive nature, Sensitivity, Flexibility, Authenticity, A
pleasant, professional, appearance, Sense of humor, Knowledge, Good
communication skills, Organization, Decisiveness, Good Health, Personal
Integrity and Charisma.

2. Explain the meaning and importance of moments of truth.

- In customer experience management, moments of truth represent the

points in a customer’s journey with a brand when a key event occurs and an
opinion about that brand is formed. A moment of truth is usually defined as
an instance wherein the customer and the organization come into contact
with one another in a manner that gives the customer an opportunity to either
form or change an impression about the firm.

3. Explain the cycle of service.

- A Cycle of Service describes the complete end to end experience

that a customer has in relation to an organization. It includes all the points of
contact that a customer has when experiencing a particular offering - so there
will be different Cycles for every service an organization provides.

4. Discuss the seven sins of service as applied to guiding.

- Karl Albrecht identified a number of attitudes and behaviors that he

referred to as the 7 Sins of Service. These are the ways that customer-facing
employees often drive customers away. These sins, as expressed by Albrecht,
are: Apathy, Brush-off, Coldness, Condescension, Robotism, Rulebook, and
Runaround.

5. Explain how a tour guide deals with the:

(a) STUDENTS - a guide must be skilful in asking questions and use creative
techniques.
(b) SENIOR CITIZENS – Allow extra time for the tour as many activities
will take longer, such as getting on and off a motor coach, eating and walking
anywhere. Pause frequently and make several short stops on walking tours. Be
particularly attentive to fatigue or any sign of stress or illness. Pay close
attention to special medical problems or difficulties and pay special attention to
their status. Since hearing and memory problems are more common as people
age, always repeat instructions, especially meeting times. Although these steps
are important in enhancing tours for senior citizens.

(c) “DIFFICULT” PEOPLE - The first duty of a guide when he meets the
group is to create an atmosphere of harmony and mutual trust. In the first
meeting, visitors will scrutinize the guide for signs about his or her attitude,
personality, capability, and other indications about the kind of experience they
will have.

(d) HABITUALLY LATE PASSENGERS - The most popular of these learning

techniques is neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) which is based on the premise that people
perceive primarily on one of three ways- visually, auditorily, and kinaesthetically. By
recognizing which of these three ways others perceive, guides are better equipped to deal with
various personalities. For example, if a person is “visual,” he will respond to visual stimuli and
to visually oriented language such as see, show, visualize, appear, examine. Those who are
“auditory” will respond to sounds and auditory languages such as say, hear, scream, and
articulate. “Kinaesthetic” types will respond to sensory stimuli and words like touch, feel,
hold, grasp and pressure.

6. Describe the role of a tour guide in developing cross-cultural

understanding.

- Cross-cultural understanding are learning to value other cultures and

respect their views. This comes when people move from thinking that
“different” means “wrong,” to thinking that there might be another way, to
being tolerant and accepting. Projects to promote cross-cultural.
understanding.
 CHAPTER 6 | SPEAKING SKILLS OF TOUR GUIDES

1. Describe the qualities of a successful speaker.

- Delivering effective and successful speech is a special quality of

human being. By dint of this quality, many people have become successful in
business, politics and in society. Through delivering artful speech, the
speaker can persuade people. Excellent public speakers spend time researching
their topic, organizing the content, preparing captivating slides, studying their
notes, understanding the audience, and practicing their presentation before
appearing before the audience. A speaker that is not well prepared will display
signs of incompetence.

2. Explain the advantages of a good posture.

- When you have good posture, you use the muscles that support your
spine properly. Plus, the bones, joints, ligaments, and other connective tissue
also all cooperate to keep the entirety of your back feeling less strained and
stressed.

3. Enumerate the importance of eye contact as a speaking technique.

- Sustained eye contact is an invitation to turn your talk into a

conversation. It creates a bond between speaker and listener, a connection that
is beneficial to both parties. When you look someone in the eye, they are more
likely to look at you, more likely to listen to you, and more likely to buy into
your message.

4. Explain the meaning of pitch, resonance, and volume.

- Pitch is related to frequency. Changing the number of vibrations per

second changes the pitch. Volume, or loudness, is related to the strength,
intensity, pressure, or power of the sound. Bigger/ amplified vibrations result in
bigger/louder sounds. Resonance is the tendency of an object to vibrate at
maximum amplitude at a certain frequency.

5. Discuss the common annoying habits of speakers.

- Examples of common annoying habits of speakers are: playing with

hair, jewelry or clothing, persistent “um’s” and “ah’s”; jerky eye movement;
overuse of slang or colloquialisms; overuse of expressions such as “you know”
and “like” or superlatives like “incredible.”
6. Describe the proper use of a microphone.

- Your mic should be as close to your mouth as possible in order to only

pick up the sound of you voice, and not the other sounds of the room. A good
rule of thumb is to have the mic positioned about 6-12 inches away from your
mouth.
 CHAPTER 7|CONDUCTING TOURS

1. Explain the factors that can change the quality of a tour.

- The factors identified were classified into six categories: unhealthy

business practices, market domination, immaturity of tourist market, changing
tourist behaviour, intense competition between inbound tour operators and
human resource issues.

2. Describe the general tour procedures.

- The tour planner must contact, negotiate and make bookings with
hotels, restaurant, and attractions included in the tour.

3. Discuss how walking tours are conducted.

- Walking tours take tourists on a curated exploration through popular or

lesser known sites of the city. The most important part is that a walking tour is
conducted by tour guides with lots of local knowledge of the city. A lot of
walking tours explore the city based on specific interests of tour participants.

5. Explain the advantage and disadvantage of driver-guiding.

6. Describe the unique features of the different kinds of tours.

- Conducting a tour is like leading an orchestra or directing a stage play.

Conducting a tour requires many skills such as those of a storyteller, a teacher,
a manager, a diplomat and an archaeologist. Although several details are
carefully planned, the actual production is a unique, creative experience.