Tour Guide
What is a tour guide?
Tour guides work in the travel industry, giving guided tours to groups of visitors. They are experts on the history of the location and offer their groups interesting information about points of interest at natural attractions, historic sites, museums, scenic places, and other tourist destinations.
Guides can give walking tours, bus tours, or even lead river tours on a boat. Frequently hired by travel agencies, tour guides are typically residents of the region where they give tours.
What does a tour guide do?
The duties of a tour guide depend on their location and employer. If they are self-employed, they will usually give tours to the public such as national parks or natural attractions. Those who are employed by a visitors bureau or corporation offer tours of cities, industrial sites, or other points of interest.
The three main areas of specialization within the guiding industry are historical guides, corporate guides, and nature or eco-tour guides.
Historical tour guides take groups of visitors to national monuments, historic sites, historic districts, religious or archaeological sites, and museums.
These guides offer visitors an interesting overview of the location, including its history and the effect it has had on modern society. In addition, they answer visitors' questions and keep the tour organized, efficient, and safe.
Theme parks often employ tour guides who take visitors on a tour of a museum inside the park that documents the history of the company.
Guides can also work in zoos, wildlife refuges, safari parks, or animal reserves, enlightening visitors about animal behavior and the company's goals.
Nature tour guides lead groups to natural attractions, national parks, and other outdoor places where wildlife and scenic spots are the focus of the tour. These guides are experts in natural sciences and have the ability to engage visitors with their knowledge of biology, geology, and history. The goal of eco-guiding is to take a small group of individuals to a protected yet scenic natural area, while having little or no impact on the environment. Visitors are given information about the environmental impact of human actions while the guides try to foster a general appreciation of the natural habitat.
Regardless of the tour guide's specialization, some core responsibilities apply to all positions. Their main responsibility is to make sure the tour is as safe as possible for the whole group. They will monitor the group's activities to ensure everyone complies with the site or guide safety regulations. In some cases, they may have to provide first aid or emergency services to visitors.
Tour guides usually plan itineraries as well, they will research thoroughly before giving the tour and will be prepared and organized for each step of the process, from greeting visitors on arrival to arranging transportation between locations.
Guides are also required to perform administrative tasks, collect fees and, in many cases, promote gift shops and sell souvenirs.
What is a tour guide's workplace like?
Tour guides work in a variety of environments and conditions.
Museum tour guides, for example, work indoors year-round, while nature tour guides work outdoors and are subject to the effects of weather and climate conditions. Typically, a tour guide's work week is highly structured, although they may work more or less than 40 hours. Since they work within the travel industry, many tour guides lead tours on weekends. Some guides are employed for seasonal and temporary positions, working only during the summer months when tourism is at its peak.