TM314

TOUR GUIDING

COURSE OUTCOME

• Recognize and describe the nature of tour guiding, its history, role

Topic 1

Organization of a Tour Operations Department

Definition and Type of Tour Guide

Tour Operator - travel agents who expand their product range by setting-up

- Mediator between suppliers of travel services

Organization of tour department

Manager

office supervisor - oversees the operation

Reservation/clerk - handling the triad, accommodate the client upon entering the agency, he or she also
responsible on the call about the tour packages,

messenger - is the one who is handling the contract between the client and travel suppliers

Field supervisor - is responsible in operation during the delivery of services, they should monitor the
delivery

Tour coordinator - is the one who is accompanies the group of tourists during delivery services,
responsible for check-in and out of the client

courier - he has to distribute the id card

Tour guide/ escort - directly under the manager but it has a broken line; because tour guide is just for
the tour, tour guide is not affiliated in a travel agency but he or she is part of tour department

TOUR GUIDE
• is an individual who is licensed by the local government and accredited by the Department of Tourism
to guide tourist, both foreign and domestic, for a free, commission, or any other form of renumeration.

TYPE OF GUIDES

Urban guides - are those who take pleasure in telling story of a city of 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 - Conduct tours driving motor coaches, vans or cars.

Business or industry guides - These guides are called upon to explain the company philosophy or
mission, thus they are trained in presentation skills or sales techniques.

Adventure guides - include mountaineering guides, bicycle guides, fishing guides and raffling guides. The
work of an adventure guides develops from a serious devotion to a sport or activity.

Tour Managers - Provide light commentary when there is no guide available. They are knowledgeable
because they function as both a tour manager and a guide.

Interpreters - Translator of foreign languages, who communicates by sign language

Escort interpreters - is one who accompanies foreign visitors who are officially invited by the
government. He is a well-educated linguist who travels with visitors throughout the country at least for
one month to translate for them.

Docents or Volunteer guides - They are found in most city and town, at visitors’ centers, museums,
historic houses, churches and other places that people usually visit.
Topic 2

History of Tour Guiding

The 4 phases of Tour Guiding

• Ancient
• Dark-Middle Ages
• Renaissance
• Modern Ages

The ancient empire - 3,000 B.C. - 5000 A.D.

Generated travel, festivals and shows were popular among them was the Olympic Games

Persians, Assyrians and Egyptians. - the first travelers and tour guides or organizer of the tour

Greek empire - 900 B.C.6

periegetai (leaders around)

exegetai (explainer)

proxemos (whose function was to help fellow citizens in traveling abroad)

Herodotus History - the first travel writer, have witnessed the travel of Athenians from 460-454 B.C.

Middle Ages (Dark Ages) - approximately between 500 A.D. & 1508 A.D.

Fall of Rome and the Renaissance

Roles of tour guides are the ff.

• Pathfinders
• Protectors
• Safety escorts
• Bridges to ensure safe passages

The Renaissance and the Grand Tour

-Young men traveled who wanted to seek position in court needs to travel.

Routes of the Grand Tour

• Italy

Tour guide - serves as personal tutor

• Bear leader
• Antiquarii
• Cicerone

Who would remain with the traveler and his entourage throughout the journey.

• Articulate
• Multilingual
• And well-versed in many subjects like history, literature, architecture and current events.

Most of the Tour Guides were:

• Clergy
• Students
• Teachers
• Writers
• Historians

17th - 19th Century

Vetturino - a driver of the Italian four-wheel carriages vettura

Modern Ages

Explorers rather than pleasure travelers

Charles Dickens,

Francis Trollope and

Alexis de Tocqueville - three well known European writers who visited different country in the world.

CHAPTER III
THE TRAVELER (knowing the types of travelers)

Explorers - they wanted to visit unfamiliar different areas.

Elite travelers - they have their own airplane, taken only for charter flights
- because they have a luxury lifestyle

Off-beat tourist - someone who seeks out unconventional or less visited travel destinations or
experience often avoiding popular tourist destinations. Something unique.

Unusual Tourist - out of the ordinary travel destinations and experience.

Incipient mass tourist - known to be as business travelers

Mass tourist - travel in large numbers visit well known destinations and they have less interest in
cultural immersion. On budget travel.

Charter tourist - a group of tourists who booked inclusive vacations packages through tour operator or
travel agency. most of their itinerary are pre-arrange.

Group Traveler -

 Families
 Extended family reunion
 Corporate travelers
 Association executives
 Association members
 Clubs and affinity groups
 School groups
 University and alumni groups
 People with disabilities
 Foreign and domestic travelers joining groups
 Business and incentive groups

• Student groups

- Usually fall between the ages of 11-17

• Business travelers
 - Those who are visiting a region to conduct business such as sales, research, meetings and
conferences

• Incentive travelers

- Are business people who were given trips by companies as a reward for their accomplishments.

• Family Travelers

- Guides talk principally to the children, and add comments and clarifications to adults.

• Senior Citizens

- Demanding
- Slow
- Patient
- Impatient
- Repetitive Punctual

•Clubs or affinity Groups

- Have common interests

• Public tour groups

- one thing in common is the place they visit at the same time
- a big challenge for the Tour guide is to interpret a diverse group of people and attempt to unite
the group.

Tour guide's challenges on group travel