[TM-6362 Professional Elective 3- Tour Guiding]

1
[Week 2: Guiding Concepts and Principals]

Module 002: Concepts, Types and Duties and

Responsibilities of a Tour Guide

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. Discuss the type of tour guide;
2. Discuss the concept of tour guiding;
3. Explain the roles played by different types of tour guides.

The Concepts of Tour Guiding

1. Cohen (1985)
 Traditionally the role of the guide has been focused on two issue one the “pathfinder” and a
“mentor.”
 Pathfinder: One who leads others through social and natural areas unknown to its
travellers.
 Mentor: A person serving as a guru to the seeker, guiding towards insights and
enlightenment.
 Cohen argues that while the modern tour guide have origins as either pathfinder of mentor,
these roles have now developed into leadership and mediatory roles.
 Under leadership, the guide must give direction to the tour, control the group and is
responsible for the social component which involves tension management, serving as an
integrating force, maintaining morale and providing animation.
 The mediatory role sees a tour guide as a middleman between his party and the local
population. He interposes himself between the party and the environment making in non-
threating to his party.
 Communication is the principal role of the guide under the mediatory sphere. He influences
his group by pointing out objects if interest, provide information and interpretation.

2. Communication Tool
 Tour guiding is a means of communication with the public whereby relevance of sites are
revealed, attention are drawn to the tourist assets and underlining the details and inter-
linkages that would often stay hidden from tourists.
 Interpretation is much more than providing information, it is a communication process
where participants (interpreter & visitor) mutually affect each other.

3. Management Tool
 Enhancing of visitor attitude and understanding of the tourist attraction or site.

4. Educational and Learning Process

Course Module
  It is an educational activity meant to influence visitor attitude and behavior in order to
enhance the desires ethics e.g. conservation, responsible tourism, respect for host culture
etc.
 It brings the visitors from the sphere of the known to the unknown.

Principles of Tour Guiding

Today travelers seek support from experts that can provide them with services in the destination
in multitude of ways, these are the basic tenets of tour guiding that provide for a guide as:
1. Interpreter
 In many instances, the tour guide acts as an interpreter in foreign languages for the
travelers.
 The tour guide also interprets information, sites and attractions to the tourists.

2. Presenter
 The tour guide is a presenter for the travelers by providing relevant and interesting
commentaries on sites seen and places visited.

3. Care-giver
 The tour guide is also a care giver for the travelers as he or she provides relief to
unpleasant situations at the most difficult times.
 They maintain the safety and security of tourists at all times.

4. Overseer
 The tour guide is the representative of the tour operator in the field.
 Tour guides are responsible to the tour operator for any unplanned failure of other
suppliers to deliver confirmed services.

5. Time Keeper
 The tour guide makes sure that the services are provided in a timely fashion and within the
scheduled time as per the tour itinerary.

6. Mediator
 Tour guides in the course of their profession operate between cultures thus naturally
playing the role of inter-cultural mediation.

7. Coordinator
 Tour guides act as a link between the various suppliers and coordinates the delivery of
services from each.
 The supervision of luggage and van handlers is coordinated by the tour guide and assisted
by the courier.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Guide

1. Honesty
 Provide information and explanations about an attraction honestly and never take
advantage of the ignorance of the tourists.
 Use common sense by being honest and saying “I don’t know….. or I will check.”
2. Fairness
 Act fairly and reasonable in all dealings with co-workers, host communities and tourists.
 [TM-6362 Professional Elective 3- Tour Guiding]
3
[Week 2: Guiding Concepts and Principals]

3. Factual
 Ensure factual and presentations by distinguished legends, truth, stories and traditions.
4. Tactful
 Always act with tact and diplomacy in dealing with the guests.
 Act as a link between the visitor, the area and its people.
5. Safety
 Ensure tourist safety and warn them on: plants that might cause some allergies, unsuitable
food and drinks, elevations for those with fear of height, dangerous wildlife, pickpockets.
 They try to ensure that the tour will be enjoyable and safe.
6. Responsibility
 Protect the reputation of tourism industry by making every assignment a treat, with
respect to the environment, wildlife sites and monuments, local customs and traditions.
Types of Guides
1. Local Guide- a person competent enough to guide in a certain locality or area.
2. Freelance Guide- A guide that is not personally connected to any operator or agency and
receives monthly remuneration or salary.
3. Staff Guide- a guide that is personally connected to a tour operator or agency and receive
monthly remuneration or salary.
4. Escort Guide- a guide who accompanies a group of tourists from the point of origin to the
destination and back to the group.
5. Linguist Guide- a person who speaks fluently two or more foreign languages and is used to
translate languages during tours.
6. Meet and Greet Guide- a guide who meets individual groups of visitors arriving at the airport,
help them get their luggage and may accompany or drive them to their hotel.
7. Educational Guide- a guide that tends to student study educational tours.
8. Driver Guide- a person who operates a tour vehicle while at the same time delivers
commentaries to the tourists.
9. Interpretative Guide- a person who is able to interpret the natural and cultural heritage of a
community and destination.
10. Transfer Guide- A person who receives tourists at the terminals dealing mainly with the
provision of general information and confirming the destination programs acquired by the
tourists.
11. Specialist Guide- a guide who specializes in a certain field like botany, architecture and is used
to offer specialized tours.
12. On-site Guide- a guide who is based at a particular attraction and provides tours for one or
several hours.
13. Step-on Guide- a guide who conducts tours and delivers commentaries while travelling on a
vehicle.
14. Shore-excursion Guide- a guide who works on-board a cruise liner, yacht or river cruise vessel.
15. Hop-on Guide- a guide who accompanies self-drive tourists in reserves, parks, heritage and
historical sites, cities and regions.
16. Cruise-excursion Guide- a guide who takes visitors from cruise ships or chartered touring
yacht onto the shore at various points along the journey showing them the main attractions.

Course Module
References and Supplementary Materials

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. Techniques in Tour Guiding 2018;
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/pauliuslaiminga/techniques-in-tour-guiding-
2018-by-paul-olola; October 02, 2019