Start & Run a Tour Guiding Business. Barbara Braidwood, Susan Boyce & Richard Cropp

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СКАЧАТЬ General Duties

      1.1 Present a professional image at all times

      Whether your route takes you around your hometown or around the globe, you are on display every minute when conducting a tour. People may not consciously notice if you are well groomed and courteous, but they certainly will notice if you are not. Your outward appearance and manners must be immaculate at all times.

      (a) Learn everyone’s name

      It is human nature. People love to hear the sound of their own name, so learn all your clients’ names, preferably within the first day or two. Use names frequently — when you greet people, thank them, or acknowledge a question. No one will complain that you have overused their name, but they might comment if they think you did not bother to find out what it was.

      (b) Encourage everyone to feel they belong

      If you learn something special or unusual about one of your clients, try to find some way of acknowledging it. It does not have to be as lavish as buying roses for a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary (although this could certainly be appropriate under some conditions). It could be no more than asking a gardening enthusiast if he or she had a chance to enjoy the chrysanthemums in the hotel garden, but it will show you are a caring professional and will help you develop rapport with the group.

      When people tend to hang back, make a special attempt to draw them into the group, but never force the issue. On one wilderness tour, the director noticed a woman lagging behind the main group. Concerned their arduous hiking pace was overtaxing her, he made sure he was always close by whenever she fell back. It took a day and a half before she politely informed him, “I’m really tired of seeing you. I just want to take some photos in peace.”

      (c) Mind your p’s and q’s

      Use the words “Please” and “Thank You” frequently. They can never be said too often.

      (d) Avoid comparisons with other companies

      Even if you are dissatisfied with some aspect of the company you are working for, keep it to yourself. Griping or comparing your company to another one never wins friends. It simply shows you in an unprofessional light and will likely lose you your contract.

      (e) Don’t show favoritism

      When one of your clients is interested in a subject you feel passionate about, it is easy to spend more time talking with that person than with someone who does not share your interest. This can leave some members feeling left out or ignored. Everyone has paid the same price and is entitled to the same service, so you cannot let one or two people monopolize your time and affect the quality you present to all the others. Most tour directors make a point of sitting with hotel staff, the bus driver, or other guides once they have greeted their group for meals and found everyone a place to sit. This not only avoids even the most unintentional hint of favoritism but also gives the tour director some well-deserved and much-appreciated time away from the demands of the job.

      If an unexpected opportunity comes up or you feel like doing something that is not on the itinerary, either do it alone on your free time or extend an open invitation to everyone in the group. It could be nothing more extravagant than a sunrise walk along the beach, but if you want to invite one person from the tour, you must invite everyone. You may end up with three or four people, most of the group, or just one companion, but you will not be accused of favoritism if everyone was given the chance to go.

      (f) Do not take sides

      Even if you are the debating champ of your Toastmasters club, as a tour guide or director you must not give in to the urge to get involved in a verbal contest. You must remain neutral on controversial subjects and must never make jokes which could be taken offensively. Politics, race, gender, and religion are obvious subjects to avoid.

      (g) Always be immaculately groomed

      Clothes should be clean, pressed, and conservative — no flashy jewelry, excessive make-up, or overpowering perfume or after-shave. Keep skin, hair, and teeth clean, and remind yourself constantly that good posture is healthy and looks far more pleasing to the eye than a slouch. If you must chew gum or smoke, do so in private on your own time. Both habits can be extremely offensive, and a growing number of people are more than willing to speak out loudly against them.

      While it makes sense to protect your eyes with high-quality sunglasses, especially in tropical or snowbound areas, those “cool” mirrored sunglasses will rapidly annoy most people. The same holds true for haircuts hiding your eyes. No matter what the current trend in eyewear or hairstyles, your face and eyes should always be clearly visible.

      1.2 Encourage people to experience the uniqueness of a destination

      It may be as simple as trying a native curry dish for the first time or as daring as strapping on a parachute and leaping out of a low-flying airplane. If you help people feel motivated and secure about stretching their personal limits, you will put your unique stamp on any tour. It is often these special highlights, things someone may never have dreamed possible, that become the most talked-about, most remembered part of a tour.

      1.3 Be environmentally aware

      There is an ever-increasing and long overdue awareness of environmental issues, and the tourism industry as a whole is working hard to promote this awareness. Tour guides and directors have a responsibility to encourage the protection of our fragile planet.

      (a) Do not litter. Manmade garbage is just as big a problem in the city as the wilderness. If you pack it in, pack it out — even in town. And make sure members of your group follow this rule too.

      (b) Reduce, reuse, recycle. Help keep pollution under control whenever possible by observing the Three R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle. Watch for energy efficient power alternatives such as propane buses, or perhaps you could walk the two blocks to the restaurant rather than busing everywhere. It is also wise to encourage your driver to turn off the bus engine whenever possible. This is not only for environmental reasons but also for your clients. We were once on a tour where the only way to see the view at one site was to stand directly in front of the spot where the fumes poured out of the bus’s exhaust system. It made a big impression. Too bad it was not the right one.

      (c) Do not pick the flowers. Don’t allow tour participants to take flowers, artifacts, or other “souvenirs” from natural or historical sites. Make sure they don’t feed wildlife, as this can disrupt the animals’ natural feeding habits. Remember the principle: “Take only pictures; leave only footprints.”

      1.4 Hurry up latecomers

      Travelers who are less than punctual should be dealt with politely, promptly, and firmly. Since a late start usually cannot be made up at the end of the day, everyone comes out losers when one person constantly holds up the rest of the group. If you set a good example by always being on time or early, most people will do the same.

      1.5 Keep written, daily reports

      In addition СКАЧАТЬ