SH1735

Four Stages of Tour Guiding get about the tourists. In promoting other packages,
(Baltazar & Versoza, 2016)
I. Pre-arrival
A. Consultation
• Once the tour operator has assigned the tour guide/s, s/he
proceeds with polishing the entire tour by consulting
with them. It is noteworthy to mention that tour guides
are more skilled and familiar with the destinations;
therefore their input is valuable. They are more
knowledgeable with significant information like the
weather, road conditions, tourist attractions, behavior,
and personality of natives, and they even know where to
purchase local delicacies and souvenirs.
B. Endorsement
• Once the tour operator has made all the bookings, the
tour guide will be called in to be given the proper travel
documents. These are the itinerary, rooming list, guest
list, tour vouchers, tickets, and petty cash for payables or
incidental expenses. It is essential to provide tour guides
with other pertinent information like contact details of
suppliers, liquidation sheets for expenses, and evaluation
forms for tourists to fill-out after the tour.
C. Briefing
• This is the part where the tour operator reiterates the
itinerary and inclusions in the tour packages, explains the
flow of the tour, and even sets the expectations from the
tour guide. They are expected to promote and sell
optional tours to tourists for their next travel. In doing so,
it is necessary to know guests’ profiles when
recommending or selling tour packages. This is the time
when they try to acquire as much information they can
aggressive selling is not recommended.
D. Research
• Tour guides should not rely on personal opinions. They
must be educated and well-informed. Learning is
important in a tour and tourists get this from
commentaries. An excellent tour guide does research on
current events and interesting new facts about the
destination. Furthermore, the guide should also know
what would interest the guests and assess whether they
can relate to the explanations given.
E. Ocular Inspection
• The tour guides must be familiar with the sites, points of
interest, restaurants, and other stops stated in the
itinerary. Ideally, it is best to visit them beforehand. The
points of interest or attractions include museums, parks,
factories, churches, historical buildings/infrastructures,
restaurants, and the like. Tour guides must also know
where to bring tourists who look for restrooms, ATM
machines, and
souvenir shops.
In addition, tour
guides should
not only focus
on the sites
reflected in the
itinerary. They
should also be
informed about
other interesting
spots along the
way. Source: www.englishspectrum.com

04 Handout 1 *Property of STI

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II. Arrival (Tour Proper)
A. Meeting the group
• Welcoming and gathering the group – The tour guide
meets the group at the arrival area of the airport, pier, and
bus or train station. S/he assembles them in a controlled
area and welcomes them to the city.
• Introduction – The guide waits until the group is
complete then pleasantly introduces himself or herself.
• Identification –There are tours that come in big groups.
As soon as the guests are all settled in their seats in the
motor coach and introductions have been done, tour
guides start to check the number of passengers inside the
bus and the list. All tourists in the list are called
individually, and tour guides make sure all of them are
complete. Some tour operators provide company tour
stickers to be placed on each tourist’s chest area. This is
very helpful for easier identification once the guests are
mixed up with the crowd.
• Instructions – These are given during the meetup or
assembly should be short. Guests need to know only
immediate and important information. This includes the
description and body number of the bus, handling of
luggage, and instructions on identifying and following
the guide’s direction.
B. Activities during the tour
• Pickup and Assembly –The actual tour stipulated in the
itinerary is about to begin. Guests are picked up from
their respective hotel/s and led aboard the motor coach
or van. In such cases, the tour vehicle needs to pick up
guests from their respective accommodations. Some
04 Handout 1
SH1735
joiner tours have an assembly area where guests will be
picked up.
• Doing the Tour Commentary – A tour will not be
complete if there is no one explaining facts and
describing scenes. Giving commentaries is a challenging
yet an entertaining task for the tour guide. The guide’s
knowledge and communication skills will be tested in
what tour guides refer to as the moment of truth.
• On-coach Guiding – Commentaries can be done at any
time during the tour. In the motor coach, tour guiding
may already start. An on-coach guiding refers to tour
guides’ activities while inside the motor coach or bus.
During this tour, it is best that the guide must be lively
and enthusiastic to be able to engage tourists.
• Keeping the group preoccupied – Idleness can result to
boredom. When boredom strikes, it reflects on the tour
guides. This is why tour guides try to be very innovative
in their approach in killing time. Time occupying
activities include giving information, playing games,
conducting sing-alongs, making small talks, and telling
jokes.
• Walking tours – A tour that is full of activities that
tourists commonly engage in is a walking tour. In this
tour, tourists are always moving about and occupied with
activities. This tour is led by guides that have knowledge
of the sites, the landscapes, history, and artistic
significance.
Reference:
Balatazar, J. P., & Verzosa, R. F. (2016). Local guiding services.
Quezon City: The Phoenix Publishing House Inc.
*Property of STI
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