Tour guide

BY- S M MUJAHIDUL ALAM
DEPUTY MANAGER
BANGLADESH PARJATAN CORPORATION
FORMER HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
TRAVEL AND TOURISM, NHTTI

1. Definition of Guide Guide is a person who is working permanently or freelance for an institution of the travel trade, who meets and accompanies people who are strangers in a place and shows them everything that might be of general or particular interest to them.

2. Works of Guide Meeting tourist on arrival at their destination. Accompanying them on foot or by vehicles. Showing them places of interest. Giving them explanations and information’s about any aspects of the country.   Helping tourist to be at ease in an unfamiliar environment.

3. Type of Guide Local Guide : Specialized in a certain area or locality   Tour Escort : A guide who accompanies his clients on sightseeing, excursion or on tours Local Representative : Provides information’s about certain area. Contrary to Local Guide his work is stationery and tourist has to go to consult him.

4. 3 A's are basic requirements of a guide Appearance : First impression is the catch Attitude : Positive and open minded Ability : Courage to use skills with good timing   Once one has there three attributes achieved then he or she is ready to guide.

5. Attributes of a Professional Guide Over the years, however, experienced tour managers have developed them over personal expectations of a professional guide; these include the following:   A guide who reports thirty minutes or so before departure not breathlessly at the last minute A guide who has checked with the motor-coach dispatcher the night before to be sure that the order is or record and who checks again the next morning to be sure that the coach is ready and waiting.   A guide who is neatly dressed and groomed A guide who is organized, departs on time, and maintains the pacing the day's activities to get in everything that was promised.

6. Attributes of a Professional Guide A guide, who supervises the coach and driver by checking that the driver knows the route, has sufficient fuel and deeps the coach clean. A guide who makes sure that the public address system is making and assists passengers the board and alight.  A guide who keeps control of the group, maintains their attention, and announces in advance what is going to happen. A guide who does not continually solicit for optional events, shopping and other activities on which a commission may be made. A guide who can give more than just dates and historical facts who has a good cultural understanding of a particular city, country.

7. Attitude & Attributes Of Guide Moral Intellectual Professional Honest   Fair   Loyal Intelligent   Patient   Good Memory   Diplomatic   Pleasant   Flexible   Resourceful Punctual & reliability in regards of time   Well-groomed & appealing appearance   Pleasant voice & proper use of microphone   Good vocabulary & well informed   Strong personality & dedicated to work   Initiative & Excellent health   Sound knowledge on tourism & travel trade.  

8. Guiding Technique 1. On arrival briefing Limitation in an Islamic Country, Bangladesh. Dress code and taking off shoes while visiting Mosque. Tourists may attract crowd, but have to respect the community. Give assurance that tour will be nice and safe.   2. Early findings of all guests. Guide must be friendly   3. Take a full control of tour time and lead likewise Before departing, remind them lack of en-route toilet facility.

9. Guiding Technique 4. Take a control of seating arrangements Rotate bus seating, if necessary. Give a briefing of seating arrangements of a restaurant, before entering. 4 persons should not occupy a table for five.   5. Rooms allocations Better rooms for demanding people and average rooms for generous / sympathetic tourists. Need advance knowledge of rooms and surroundings. Guides room should be close to troubled or sick people.

10. Guiding Technique 6. Indecent request to a tour guide These requests should be refused at first instance. Recreational activity may be recommended, instead. Politely remind them on arrival briefing. 7. Great deal of patience No matter what, do not lose your patience. If you are upset, do not express. Always be apologetic, particularly to elderly. Politely, but enthusiastically show your confidence. Present yourself that you are in control. Any explanation has to be specific, short and free from ambiguity.

11. What does it take to be a good tour guide? Is an ability to work well with people and is curious about meeting new people. A good guide is well organized & possess organizational skill Adequate Travel knowledge. They need to know details and be able to memorize facts about each thing or location. Knowledge of a foreign language as well knowledge of various native languages. A tour guide should be fun . A good sense of humor, poise, an outgoing personality, knowledgeable, high energy level, and an ability to work independently. A guide should have good personal hygiene. Make sure he/she takes shower, use deodorant, shave and brush their hair.

12. Role of the tourist guide The tourist guide's main role is to escort groups or individual visitors from abroad or from the guide's own country around monuments, sites and museums of a city or region interpreting in a clear and entertaining way to inform the visitor about the cultural and national heritage and environment.   The tourist guide must be qualified in various ways: particularly in linguist competence and in terms of a wide general knowledge with specific reference to the history, geography, art, architecture, economics, politics, religion and sociology of the area of qualification.   Tourist Guides are required to undertake examinations leading to a qualification recognized by the relevant regional or national tourist authority.

13. Role of the tourist guide A guide is a person who leads anyone through unknown or unmapped country. This includes a guide of the real world (such as someone who conducts travellers and tourists through a place of interest), as well as a person who leads someone to more abstract places (such as to knowledge or wisdom). Tourist Guides are representatives of the cities, regions and countries for which they are qualified. It depends largely on them if visitors feel welcome, want to stay longer or decide to come back. They therefore contribute considerably to the perception of the destination. Tourist Guides are able to help travellers understand the culture of the region visited and the way of life of its inhabitants. They have a particular role on the one hand to promote the cultural and natural heritage whilst on the other hand to help ensure its sustainability by making visitors aware of its importance and vulnerability.

14. Dressing Code for Tour Guides What you will be required to wear at work will vary depending on the type of job you are doing. For example, if you are working as a receptionist you may need to look smart and wear a suit, whereas if you are working behind a bar a less formal dress code may apply. Many organisations provide a uniform. These are practical and allow you to visually represent the company and present a professional image. They identify you as an employee to customers and help you to feel part of a team.

15. There are some general rules in dressing for tour guides : Dress comfortably for your guiding work. Tour guiding is a physical work requiring a lot of walking, standing, and climbing etc. Sometimes when clients are at rest, tour guide is still busy preparing the next stop. Thus, comfortable clothes and shoes are important for a guide to complete the work.   Wear clear and neat, casual but not too loose. Guiding is a way of presentation. Clear and neat dressing provides a good first impression to your clients. As most tour guides meet clients on vacation and trips, casual dressing is recommended. It is awkward if you wear formal suits while the travelers are on T-shirts. On the other hand, because the guide is at work, it is not professional to wear too loosely like slippers.

16. There are some general rules in dressing for tour guides : To identify you, in the case of busy tourist spots, you may choose clothes with outstanding colours . It will be easier for clients to identify you during the sightseeing tours. Otherwise, casual smart dressing is recommended.   Do you have a brand or logo? Wear it on your clothes, hats, umbrella, and bags. This contributes to your branding. Not only remind your clients of whom you are, but also shows other people along the tour.

17. Tour Guide as a Career If you are interested in a tourism career, becoming a local tour guide can be a good start. Ask yourself – do you have the passion to show your city and is your personality fit? Although a tour guide jobs requires various skills, it is a job to have face-to-face communication with travelers. When you don’t have the passion to show your city, people, customs and life in this city, you would easily get bored going the same routes. Being passionate and fit for the job, you can go on the next step to get qualified as a tour guide. To become a licensed tour guide, the requirements vary with different cities and countries. In many countries, the qualified tour guide will acquire a license/certificate to go on daily guiding jobs. Practical experience is important to develop your career as a tour guide. You learn how to deal with different clients and needs, get mature on addressing to various questions, grow experienced to handle emergent situations. Tour guide job requires as well continuous learning. The information is changing and the city is growing. A professional guide needs to be equipped with latest information, so that you can show your travelers in an up-to-date way.

18. Tourist Guide World Federation of Tourist Guide Association WFTGA has defines Tourist guide as: A person who guides visitors in the language of their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage of an area which person normally possesses an area-specific qualification usually issued and/or recognized by the appropriate authority . Apparently, the tourist guider's main role is to escort groups or individual visitors from abroad or from the guider's own country around monuments, sites and museums of a city or region interpreting in a clear and entertaining way to inform the visitor about the cultural and national heritage and environment. Furthermore, The tourist guide must be qualified in various ways: particularly in linguist competence and in terms of a wide general knowledge with specific reference to the history, geography, art, architecture, economics, politics, religion and sociology of the area of qualification.

19. Job Characteristics Studying the itinerary worked out by the tour operator, ensuring that this plan is strictly adhered to and that appropriate arrangements have been made Escorting the tourists and looking after their comfort and safety Providing detailed information about a site's history, culture, geography, purpose, inhabitants, architecture, furniture, paintings, ornaments, plants, flora and animal life and any other relevant subject. Accompanying tourists around cities, religious sites, historic buildings, industrial heritage sites, gardens, museums and other places of interest, including game parks and reserves, national monuments and exhibitions and providing general information. Answering questions and possibly directing visitors to other places of interest and related sites. Conducting excursions such as game viewing, desert tours and visits to places of specific interest. Driving the vehicle in which tourists are being transported. Conducting hunting and camping safaris (specialist training and experience required).

20. The preparation that is needed by a tour guide include the steps as follow : Find out the name and the nationality of the tourist Ask a copy of the final tour program Find out type of the tour such as the deluxe, first class or economy or budget class Reconfirm and recheck every reservation related to the tour program Collect information that might be need, such as: What time does the shopping center open or closed Where are the money changer, the bank and what is the equivalent rate Where is the nearest recommended restaurant, and others.

21. Pre tour preparation Compose the tour program : Tour program or usually known as tour itinerary is a written travel schedule made by a travel agency for his tourist. The important point which usually mentioned in this tour program such as: name of program, name of tourist (individual or group), number of tourist, room required, name of hotel required, tour activities, meals service, departure and arrival time, and also additional services if any. In this tour program is adjusted to the following thing:  The duration of the tour The point of interest Other required information. Be at the point of departure before the tour starts

22. In detail the functions of a tour guide during the tour are : To inform or to introduce To guide or to direct To give service or to advice

23. To inform or to introduce If concern to tour guide duty, this profession is very closed with information which he has function to explain something about a region or a country and their characteristic. As a tour guide, he doesn’t only give information about a certain tourist destination, which visited by tourists but also has function to introduce any other tourist destination that doesn’t be known yet. This is necessary done by a tour guide in order that tourists have perspective that in certain region or country, still many kinds of tourist object that offer an interesting place either nature, culture and combination of the both. Beside to add knowledge for tourist, this effort also gives choice for tourist to determine other tourist destination in the next visitation that not only focuses in famous tourist objects. The other impact is more spread the tourist destination that visited by tourists, which can stimulate the economy growth of local people.

24. To guide or to direct Beside have functions as orator that give any kind of information, a tour guide also guides tourists during the tour. The definition of: to guide, it means that he has an authority to arrange the tour according to tour program, which has been composed and agreed. Because of tour guide as a leader in tour activities so he should direct his tourist in accomplishing the tour program. According to the tour program, he guides the tourists to visit one tourist object and others until end of program. With direction of a tour guide also make tourist visitation more focus and adapt to the program. This can minimize any deviation especially related to unvisited tourist object, which is planned.

25. To give service or to advice As a tour guide, he has any kinds of function beside a main function to give information. One of them is to give service.   As we know that tourism is an industry, which offers an intangible product so, a special service constitutes an important thing to develop this industry. A tour guide as a front liner, who does directly interaction with tourists, has an important role in determining the successful of travel agency and tourism industry in generally. We all realize that this industry has a different characteristic than the industry and one of keys are service. How good facilities offered but doesn’t back up good service, it will be un-useful thing.   In giving service to the tourists, a tour guide should be smart, smile, friendly, polite, fully attention so that tourists really served well. If the tourists feel satisfied and well served so they will be back and joint again in other chance. Even they are also very glad to inform to their family, relative, friend, and colleague about the tour package. This is the specialty of intangible products such as tourism, where service has a dominant role.

26. Ending the tour Say goodbye and thank the tourists for the good cooperation they had given Check that nothing left on the bus Give a tip to the driver and thank him for his good driving Make report to the company concerning to the services and the expenses or financial Distribute the questionnaire

27. Tourist guides' professional ethics 1. Provision of highest standard of service 2. Promoting a spirit of co-operation 3. Abiding by the law 4. Compliance of professional ethics 5. Appearance 6. Promotion of the tourism industry 7. Principles on the acceptance of gratuities   8. Principles governing self-pay activities 9. Principles governing shopping activities 10. Tour-departure and other additional charges 11. Safety of visitors 12. Acceptance of advantages: 13. Conflict of interest 14. Handling of confidential information