Lesson No. 4

Tour Guiding Services

2nd Sem 2014-2015

LPU Cavite Campus

•Comprehend and learn to apply

strategies in managing tours.

•Understand tour guiding cycle and

create awareness on different

tourt leading procedures for

different types of tours.

1. Leading procedures in inbound, outbound and domestic tours

2. Managing arrangements for visitors

• Pre-tour, On-tour and Post Tour preparations and materials

• Step by step procedure in tour guiding

• What to say and how to deliver the spiel

• Steps and tips in delivering commentaries

3. Techniques in leading walking tours, on site tours rolling tours etc including duties and responsibilities while on tours

4. Materials used by tour guides

•Leading procedures in

inbound, outbound and

domestic tours

• Inbound Tours involve non-residents traveling in

another country. Companies that provide local

assistance for tours arriving in their country or town

are called Inbound or Receptive Tour Operators.

They are commonly used on international trips,

particularly where language issues are part of the

mix. These companies make the local arrangements

for airport pickup and delivery, arrange for

activities, hire local guides, attend to all the details

of the stay, and help in emergencies

Outbound Tour take residents from one

country to travel in another country.

These tours take travellers all over the

world and to every continent.

•Domestic tours involve residents

of the given country traveling

only within their own country

Type Tourist

Involved

Country of

Origin

Country of

Destination

Inbound Foreigners/

Balikbayan

Foreign Philippines

Outbound Locals/

Foreigners

Philippines Foreign

Domestic Locals Philippines Philippines

MANAGING

ARRANGEMENTS FOR

VISITORS

• Pre-Tour: 1. Find out what tours have been assigned to him or her or the Tour

Assignment.

2. Research the tour if it is unfamiliar.

3. Checks to see if any special holidays occur during the tour.

4. Attends a briefing meeting and asks about anything that is unclear.

5. Reviews the material given. (Especially, passengers’ names and any special

client information or requests.

6. Be aware of the composition of the group (children, teen, senior, if foreign

what is their nationality, their language culture etc.)

7. Review the itinerary

8. Be aware of the vouchers or tickets that will be needed

9. Know your vehicle to be used, the plate number and name of the driver

and/or the coordinator.

• On-Tour: 1. Be Punctual

2. Make sure you have the complete name of the guests, the cash advances and tour vouchers.

3. Check your transport amenities (microphones, trash bins, etc)

4. Meet and greet your group by introducing yourself to customers/guests/tourists.

5. Check Luggage (if any)

6. Hand out essential documents.

7. Review /discuss general itinerary for the tour as well as the rules and regulations. Announce the inclusions or exclusions of the tour and what to expect.

8. Establish camaraderie with and among the group.

9. Deliver your spiel and/or commentary.

10. End your day by announcing the next day’s itinerary/ program and give proper instructions

11. End your day or tour by thanking your guests/ tourists.

• Post-Tour

1. Report to the company, handling in required forms and describing any unusually events that occur.

2. Prepare and submit the Tour guide’s report immediately after the trip.

3. Accomplish the financial report with the necessary receipts, voucher and other documents.

4. Liquidate if necessary.

5. Company sends follow-up notes to clients thanking them for the business.

A tour guide must prepare a spiel or commentary that has the following parts:

1. Introduction

2. Presentation

3. Closing

1. Know the content of your spiel backwards and

forwards, but don't memorize it verbatim -

distractions or interruptions, including questions from

your audience, will leave you floundering. Instead,

learn the concepts and meaning exhaustively and

deliver them with an inflection that reflects both

enthusiasm and authority. This will also let you

answer questions and segue back into your spiel. The

way you deliver the spiel can be just as important as

what you say, so take the time to work on it.

2. Project the right body language. Stand up

straight to convey confidence in your product as

you pitch your spiel. Shake hands firmly, but not

too forcefully. Maintain confident, yet easy-going

body language so you appear approachable but

not aggressive. Take your cues from the potential

client so see if your body language is mirrored or

if you need to tone it down.

3. Build a natural rapport with your audience, whether it's a

single person or a group, by paying attention to their

reactions, especially their facial expressions and body

language, as you deliver your spiel. Watch for signs of

boredom or discomfort adjust your spiel accordingly. For

example, fidgeting, yawning and checking the time are signs

of boredom. Recapture attention by interrupting your spiel to

relate a short personal experience or other anecdote, or by

moving about to force them to focus their attention on you. If

you're extremely confident and talking to one person, you

can grasp his arm or shoulder while making an important

point as if to take him into your confidence.

• Begin with a smile, greeting and introduction

• Brief the guests about the tour for the day

• Review the inclusions and exclusions of the tour

• Give the distance and traveling time of the destination

• What to expect from the tour

• Give necessary precautions

• Do not miss to point important landmarks along the way

• Announce comfort stops

• Always do the head count

1. Be prepared, study the destination.

2. Plan your spiel and commentary, it should be

structured.

3. Have an update on the local and global news

and environmental issues.

4. Intercede when necessary in the in the

interaction with the guests and the locals.

5. Be aware on the basic human behavior and

attitudes.

1. Show a warm or good welcome to the

Tourist

2. State the Place/Event/Location

3. State your name and position in the tour

4. State the history about the place/event

• Start with a greeting or introduction • Information should be delivered in a manner that would interest the guests • Sense of humor should be part of the delivery of information • Remember, commentaries help people understand and appreciate what they

actually see • Face the group, not a few. Speak slowly and clearly and your voice should

be audible. • Practice eye contact • Prepare yourself for questions to be asked • Take control of your breathing and emphasize important words

• Use synonyms, example in explaining something

• When mentioning a name, repeat it or spell it

• Maintain silence, if the need arises

• Listen carefully to questions and other concerns

• Never argue with the guests

• End your tour always by thanking the guests

Techniques in leading walking

tours, on site tours rolling tours

etc including duties and

responsibilities while on tours

• A paid tourist attraction in which a

knowledgeable guide leads a small

group of people through a historically

or culturally interesting area of a city

or town, providing background

information or historical context about

the sights being viewed.

•A tour located at the sire of a

particular activity or place.

• Examples: museum tour guides,

attraction guides, etc

•Audio Tour

•Electronic Multi-media Guide

•Cellphone Tours

•GPS Tour

1. Itinerary

2. Things to do list

3. List of Suppliers

4. General tour report

5. Daily tour report

6. Time Sheets

7. Copies of Confirmation

8) Expense sheet

9) Rooming List

10)Passenger List

11)Blank seating chart

12)Optional Tour List

13)Passenger Questionnaire

14)Emergency Form

•FORMS

Supplies:

• Vouchers and tickets

• Credit Card and Checks

• Extra Passenger Supplies

• Handouts

• Office Supplies

• Miscellaneous Items Example: Luggage or duct tape, Birthday or anniversary

cards, Band-Aids, plastic trash bag, a small screwdriver or Swiss

Army Knife.

•Gadgets:

• Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs)

• The Electronic translator

• The Briefcase Alarm

• Cellular Phones

• Bullhorn, Microphone or Lapel

• Flags

• First Aid Kit

• References:

• Maps

• Manual

• Tour Guide Book

• Itinerary - An itinerary is a listing of a tour’s day-to-day

activities. Tour managers work with two different itineraries. The

first is the one clients see, which often appears in the sales

brochure. The second itinerary is a more extensive one for the

tour manager’s use.

• Things-to-Do-List - Tour managers must remember dozens of little

details. An even better method is to use a checklist of reminders.

• List of Suppliers - Companies that provide tour operators with

services are called suppliers. The most common suppliers include

hotels, airlines, cruise lines, bus companies, restaurants, and

attractions.

• General Tour Report - On this form, a tour conductor

reports delays, problems, or other unusual occurrences. The tour

conductor also profiles the group on this form. Finally, a general

tour report usually asks a tour director to evaluate service from

the personnel at hotels, restaurants, airlines, cruise lines, and

attractions.

• Daily Tour Report - Some tour operators use such a form to

report the daily experiences of a tour.

• Time Sheets - A few companies, especially those that pay an

hourly rate, will require you to log in your working hours for

each day on a company time sheet.

• Copies of Confirmations - Some tour operators provide

tour managers with photocopies of confirmations, with prices

and dates agreed upon, from each supplier.

• Expense Sheet - To be reimbursed for out-of-pocket

expenses, you’ll probably have to use a special form to list each

expense. Occasionally, a special form for telephone expenses

will also be required

• Rooming List - Several weeks before a tour begins, the tour

operator must send a list of passengers for that tour to each

hotel being used.

• Passenger List - This document lists vital information on each client. Information such as a name, home address, and telephone number will be crucial in an emergency.

• Blank Seating Chart - On most tours, passengers are given assigned seats on aircraft, trains, and even motorcoaches.

• Optional Tour List - Many tour companies offer extra side tours to clients at an additional cost. On this form, tour managers note which clients have signed up for extra cost services.

• Passenger Questionnaire - Tour operators are

interested in feedback from clients at a tour’s end.

Questionnaires are the best way to obtain this

information.

• Emergency form - For legal purposes, a tour

operator must receive a detailed report on any

accident, sickness, or death that occurs on a tour. This

form must be filled out carefully, with all circumstances

clearly described.