Drawbacks of tour guiding along

Along with many perks and advantages associated with tour guide work there are also some downsides:

- The hours can be long and erratic during peak travel season usually during the summer and start to slow down in winter.

- Earnings are subject to change depending on travel periods; Thus whose main income is from tour guiding will need to plan their finance so the money earned in peak season can sustain them through the quiet season.

The commentaries and knowledge on destinations and attractions must be always up-to-date. Tour guides have to keep improving their performance skill and how they deliver commentaries to engage visitors. Not all clients are easy to get along with, sometimes it‘s the cultural differences so tour guides have to be knowledgeable on different customs and culture to be on the most appropriate and professional manner during the tour.

Summary

Tourists come to a country to experience the destination. No matter the reason for the trip, a visitor to the country wants an unforgettable experience. Therefore there is the need for someone who is knowledgeable about the country or sight. The Attractions sector demands people to satisfy the demands of the paying client – the visitor.

Most travelers feel secure with and need a travel expert or a tour guide. In this lecture you have learnt about:

· tour guiding

· the essence, functions and features of a guided tour

· types of guided tours or excursions

· the structure of a guided tour

· tour guiding techniques (presentation and narration)

· a tour guide‘s profession: job‘s requirements, a tour guide‘s personality, standard of speech of a tour guide.

YouTube video

1. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 2 - The Tour Guide‘s Duties.

2. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 3 - How To Become A Tour Guide.

3. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 4 - Types of Tour Guiding.

4. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 5 - Presentation skills for Tour Guides.

5. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 6 - Commentary & Delivery on Bus-Boat- Walking Tour.

6. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 11 - A GOOD Tour Guide vs A GREAT Tour Guide.

7. Canarini Tour Guides. Lesson 12 - Benefits of Being a Tour Guide.

Lecture 4 Guided Tours Design

The guided tour is the result of two very important processes: preparation of a tour guide and its performing or conducting. These processes are interrelated and interdependent.

The design of a new guided tour passes through three main stages:

Preliminary work has to do with selection of materials for the future tour and (information selection) according to the goals and objectives of the tour. At the same time it‘s necessary to select tourist attractions which must be included in the tour.

Guided tour design includes:

· drawing up a sightseeing route / itinerary;

· processing of actual material;

· work on the content of the tour, its main part, consisting of several main issues;

· writing the main guided tour script;

· work on the methodology of conducting a guided tour);

· selection  of  the most effective guiding  techniques (presentation and narration);

· preparation of a tour guide's manual;

· writing a tour guide's script.

The final stage implies a guided tour approval by the Association of guides and tour managers and admission of licensed tour guides to conduct the tour.

Questions

1. What two procedures does a guided tour consist of?

2. What stages does the tour preparation involve?

3. What preliminary work is a tour guide supposed to do?

4. What does a tour design include?

5. What should be drawn up in the first place?

6. What kind of material is the guide supposed to collect?

7. What is the written version of the guided tour called?

8. What are the two guiding techniques?

9. What do we call a book for a tour guide that includes all the instructions and descriptions?

10. What‘s the difference between the main tour script and the guide‘s personal script?

11. What is the final stage of tour preparation like?

In its simplest form, the outline of all guided tours regardless of the topic and type, is the same: the introduction, the main part, the conclusion.

The introduction, as a rule, consists of two parts:

• a warm-up talk: acquaintance with the group of tour participants and instructing the tourists on safety rules behavior patterns en route;

• brief information about the topic, the length and duration of the tour, the time of departure and arrival back, sanitary stops and the place where the tour ends.

The main part is focused on specific attractions combining the techniques of presentation and narration. The tour includes only the theme-related attractions.

Conclusion, like the introduction, is not connected with tourist attractions. It should take not more than 5-7 minutes and it usually consists of two parts. The first one is the summary of the tour and conclusions on the topic. The second one is further information on other tours and excursions that help a deeper exploration of the topic.

First of all the tour should be interesting and not boring. But it is also very important not to overload the tour with a flow of unnecessary or abundant information which makes the process of perception rather difficult. In this regard, the tour should be tour participants oriented which means that we should take into account the interests of different categories of tourists (adults or children, young people, urban or rural residents, humanitarian workers, foreigners, etc.). Such an account is called a differentiated approach to tour guiding. It must take into account not only the

interests, but also the goals and objectives of the tour. If, for example, it is a folklore tour, the main emphasis should be made on the history, monuments, national peculiarities of the area. If the tour is included in the program of the business guided tour, then it is necessary to pay attention to showing different business and social centers, etc. When providing guiding services at a resort, sightseeing tours showing natural landscapes, monuments, and local attractions can be attractive.

Questions

1. What is the structure of a guided tour?

2. What parts does the introduction consist of?

3. What is the guide supposed to say in the warm-up talk?

4. What is the brief information about?

5. What material is included in the main part of a guided tour?

6. What parts does the conclusion consist of?

7. What kind of information should be avoided when preparing a tour?

8. Why is it important for a guide to know the type of tour participants?

9. What attractions should be emphasized in a folk tour/ business tour/ recreational tour?

In the process of a tour design, you can identify fifteen stages that are put in a certain order.

1. Defining goals and objectives

2. Selecting the theme

3. Selecting the literature and compiling bibliographies

4. Choosing other sources of information

5. Selecting tourist attractions

6. Working out a tour itinerary

7. Detour and showing around

8. Preparing the main guided tour script

9. Making up the ―tour guide's portfolio‖

10. Choosing delivering methods

11. Defining guiding techniques

12. Drawing up a tour guide‘s manual

13. Writing an individual guided tour‘s script

14. A guided tour presentation

15. Approval of a guided tour as a product of a tour company

Questions

1. How many stages are there in tour design?

2. What is the first stage and the final stage in the tour design?

3. What does material selection imply?

4. What written papers should be prepared?

Let‘s have a closer look at each stage of a guided tour design.