TOUR GUIDING MIDTERMS
Basic facts
WEEK 7: COMMENTARY
Have you been in a situation that you have
to speak before an audience?
 Those who are thinking of joining the
tour guiding profession are often
driven by the reality that this is one
way of “traveling for free and
getting paid.”
 Tour guiding is public speaking, it
requires the guts to face people and
talk about something importance.
 Speaking in front of a group of
professionals, with all the facts and
hand, the speaker/tour guide should
do it interestingly and
entertaining to get the needed
rapport from the listeners/guests.
What is a Commentary?
The tour commentary is a narrative
used by a tour guide to describe a site
and provide information about various
aspects of a country to tourists while on
tour.
A tour guide is a person who leads
groups of people around a town, museum,
or other tourist venue.
The tour guide provides a
commentary on the features and history
of the location, the tours can be from as
little as 10-15 minutes to extended period
over many days.
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE
PLACE TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Short profile of the place
2. Historical background
3. Origin of the name (historical or
legendary)
4.
 Capital
 Land area and population
 Location and distance from the city
center
 People and culture
 Local dishes
 Local products
 Natural attractions
 Man-made attractions
 Historical landmarks
 Cultural sites/attractions
 Customs and traditions
 Rituals and tribal wears
 Arts and crafts
 Famous personalities
SKILLS REQUIRED FOR COMMENTARY
MAKING
A. Leadership skills
Tour guides are not only manager, they
are also leaders. They manage the
conduct of the tour from start to finish, take
the initiative to an interactive way of guiding.
As Manager, tour guide’s call to decide
quickly in cases where the need arises
Leadership process takes place as the
leader tour guide not only talks, but
communicates and sends the message to
the audience tourists the way it has to be
delivered and understood.
Being a leader for a tour guide also means
having a good sense of authority in giving
information which should be a product of
research
Fiedler (A theory of leadership Vocal (38%)
effectiveness) have cited that there are two
 Accent tone
main functions of a leader namely; the
accomplishment of a task or attainment  Volume
of a goal and the strength of the group
being led.  Speed
 pitch

B. Communication skills Non-verbal (55%)

Communication is a skill which  Facial expression

needs practice  Body language
Its hard work and required  Eye contact
concentration and focus
 Gestures
It is a skill that can be developed
and become an investment.  Postures
 Body movement

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WILL

ONLY TAKE PLACE IF IT UNDERGOES A
PROCESS:
1. Communication starts with an idea in
the sender’s mind
2. Sender translates the idea into
words and this becomes the
message
3. The receiver then translates the
message back into an idea
4. When the receiver’s idea is the
same as the sender’s idea, there is
an effective communication and the
process has been completed.
COMMUNICATION COMPONENTS
Verbal (7%)
 Contents of the message
Language Proficiency
 Avoid using highfalutin words, use
simple, easy to understand words
 Try to get rid of regional accent
 Use synonyms to explain, to
describe somethings
 Use non-verbal communication in a
difficult thing or situation
Creating a Personal Platform Image
1. Voice – rate of speech
A. Volume is critical
B. Speak audibly - loud than soft voice is
more appropriate for tour guiding

 Choice of word C. Be sure you are speaking to be heard by

all, not just a few
 Vocabulary
D. Keep your pacing or rate of speech quick
 Slang, colloquial, jargon than slow
E. Pitch and tones are as important as the
above mentioned guidelines for effective
speech.
F. Vocal ticks as “um” and “ahh” are
distractions and becomes mannerisms that
you have avoid by:
 Consciously focus attention on the
vocal tick. Hear yourself saying them
and as soon as you do, they will
begin to go away
 Ask a friend, colleague to signal
each time they hear you say it
2. Eye contact - “the eyes are the
windows of the soul”
 If you want to look and sound
sincere, maintain eye contact with
the person you are speaking to
 Looking a person in the eye means
you are listening to what he is saying
and it’s a message of recognition
 Talk to them by looking at their eyes
as you begin to speak. They will
respond with a smile, a nod, or
signals of recognition.
 Good eye contact is very important
way of communication
 Not maintaining eye contact means
“you are a non-pers,” not an
important person.
 A penetrated glance means you are
overly interested in that person. It
may bring embarrassment and an
uncomfortable feeling.
3. Body Language
 Be conscious of your body
language, not overly so, but just
enough to become more mindful of
its effect
 Watch for cues from others, focus on
how they move and react with your
speech, and also how you react to
their body language and gestures.
 Cultivate “power moves” - good
posture-back straight, head up. Firm
handshake, relaxed-look - hands on
chips or in pockets, but not slouchy.
4. Your Audience
 Speech offers the benefit that writing
doesn’t, that is the ability to get
immediate, visible feedback. In
speaking, there is more flexibility.
 You can present a story, and change
the course based on the reaction or
feedback by the guests during the
actual conduct of the tour.
 As tour guide, you can draw your
energy also from your
audience/guests
 Most of the guests are an “excited,
happy interested and energetic
mode.”
 They have planned the vacation or
tour, saved money for that, and
prepared for a welcoming tour guide,
with the smiles.
 C. Listening skills
 Listening is key to all effective
communication, without the ability to listen
effectively messages are easily
misunderstood - communication breaks
down and the sender of the message can
easily become frustrated or irritated.
Some tips for effective listening
1. Use attentive body language
2. Learn how to use your “thinking
time” effectively by paying attention
and focusing on what you see and
hear
3. Become an observer
4. Listen with an open mind
 5. Do not jump to conclusions E, Delivery skills
6. Let the speaker recognize that you  In tour guiding, delivery of
are listening information gathered and
researched is the most challenging
 OBSERVING - looking at the other
part of the “show”
person communicating and hearing
 It is not the idea of being so fluent in
the word he’s saying.
English, or any other foreign
 FOCUSING - nodding, blinking,
language, but the way you deliver
learning forward, showing interest in
the commentary to the listening
what the other person is saying.
tourist is the “name of the game”
 RESPONDING - using some verbal here. It is indeed not “what you
contributions such as say, but how you say it” that would
“Hmm”...”Ahhum”..”I see.” matter most.
 PARAPHRASING - repeating what
he has said in your own words to
make sure that you understood what
Nervousness
he said.
 The book of list mentioned that in
D. Research skills
the category of phobias, the fear of
 Tour commentaries are planned, public speaking is number one in
structured and studied information, the United States.
carefully gathered through research  In other words, tour guides are not
and used as tool to be able to alone in being nervous, each time
effectively inform the guests they face their tourists and do their
 Commentaries or spiels should be a spiels.
product of research. Information
should be updated and relevant.  You can’t just avoid the feeling of
 Reading books, articles, nervousness or fear, they just come.
newspapers, autobiographies, Your “core” brain perceives that it’s
journals are good source of not safe out there.
information. We used to have our
Guidelines on how to counter, prevent
own “data bank” a compilation of
nervousness:
gathered information carefully hand
written, and kept for years. A. Know your stuff (what to say) -
 Now, it’s all read and stored from a being prepared by studying your
gadget with the use of internet destination, tour assignment.
 Aside from reading materials,
B. Know the place - familiarization of
research can be done through
the place will always be an
interviews, attending speeches,
advantage for a tour guide
conventions, fora, talking to the
experts are all an important source C. Visualize success - visualize
of learning. yourself doing the spiel, delivering
 Education and ability to being a well- your commentary already
informed tour guide, of course are
value-added characteristics of an
effective tour guide
 D. Breath - start with a deep breathe,
inhale and exhale. Clear your mind,
body and soul by proper breathing.
WEEK 8:
HOW TO MAKE A COMMENTARY
 Required - the name of the tour
guide, driver, or coordinator should
be part of the introduction and
greeting.
 Informational - include all the basic
information given including the
history, facts and figures whether on
a running tour
 Requested - through interactive
guiding, guests ask questions and
the tour guide is duty-bound to
answer these requested information
for clarification.
 Optional - part of the commentary,
to be more entertaining includes
good jokes, interesting stories,
trivias, legends.
Factors to consider in Guests Analysis:
 Nationality and country of origin
 Age and gender
 Socio-economic status and
educational attainment
 Special interest
 Occupation and profession
 Reason for the visit and tour
 How long is their visit?
 Have they been here before?
 How much do they already know?
 Where else have they been?
 Where else are they going?
Some tips for effective commentary
A. Accuracy - information should be
brief, concise and simple, easy to
understand.
B. Relevance - carefully research,
studied and selected information
based on the type of tourists.
C. Structure - facts presented should
have a form, the beginning, the
middle, and the ending.
D. Varied - encompasses several or all
areas of concern about a certain
topic discussed.
E. Objectivity - in all presentation the
objective should be clear, not being
subjective.
Steps in delivering a commentary
1. Smile, greet, introduce yourself and
the driver
2. Brief the guests about the tour for
the day
3. Review the inclusions and
exclusions of the tour
4. Give the location and distance,
traveling to the destination
5. Tell them what to expect from the
tour
6. Announce comfort stops
7. Give necessary precautions
8. Don’t forget to point the important
landmarks along the way
Tips for an effective commentary
 Begin with a smile, greeting and
introduction
 Deliver information in a manner that
would interest the guests
 Add sense of humor in your
commentary
  Remember that people join a tour to
be entertained with facts and stories
about the place, and appreciate the
things they actually see
 Face the group, not a few
 Speak clearly and slowly (especially
for a larger group)
Tips for an effective commentary
 Voice should be audible
 Practice eye contact
 Prepare yourself for questions to be
asked
 Take control of your breathing and
try to emphasize important words
 Use synonyms in explaining (when
necessary)
 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
 Always end your tour by thanking
the guests for joining the tour, and
visiting the country
SAMPLE COMMENTARY FOR
TRANSFER IN (ARRIVAL) FROM THE
AIRPORT TO THE HOTEL:
1. Greet with a smile and welcome the
guests
2. Introduce yourself and the driver
3. Briefing on the following:
 Philippines overview
 Location and distance
 Climate - weather patterns
 Currency - bills, noted and coins
 Time difference - Philippine time vs
GMT and local time
 Electricity - voltage in the hotel
 What to wear
 Modes of transportation
 Restaurant local cuisine and
specialty restaurants
 Chopping centers - what to buy,
where to buy
 Offices and banks - time and day of
operation
 Tipping culture
 Briefing on the next day’s
activity/tour/movement
 Meeting time and place for next
day’s tour
WEEK 9-10: Itinerary
Why it is important for a Tour Guide to learn
what is an itinerary?
What is Itinerary
 An itinerary is a planned route or
journey that includes the program or
movements of the guests as they
embark on a tour.
 It also includes the specified time,
schedule of activities, places of
interests to be visited, and all other
requirements and requests agreed
upon by the guests and the tour
operator.
 It is normally a prepaid
arrangement, and the tour guide,
being the link between the guests
and the tour operator who designs
the itinerary; it is an important task of
 the tour guide to be able to review it
prior to the day of the tour.
Type of tour
What exactly is the type of tour you are
conducting today? Is it a day tour, half-day
tour? Just a running tour, or some walk
about tours are included? Tours normally
are customized, otherwise it is a regularly
run tours, which are well specified and
simple, normally availed by group tours. The
number of participating tour guests and their
composition is also consider.
Knowledge of the Destination
 This is the most basic and yet very
important for a tour guide to possess
prior to any tour to be conducted.
 Knowledge of the destination not
only covers the facts, famous face
and places in the area, but the
current and updated information is
taken into consideration.
 The old buildings may not be there
anymore, the names of the streets
have been changed by now, the
location of the city hall, library,
hospital, and other government
buildings may not be in the same
location as ten years ago.
 Technology now is a great aid to
research. Gone are the days when
we, tour guides have to go
personally to the National Library,
National Museum to do research
with the use of pen and paper.
What is a Tour Package?
A package tour or package holiday
comprises transport and accommodation
advertised and sold together by a vendor
known as a tour operator. Other services
may be provided such a rental car, activities
or outings during the holiday. It is a
combination of two or more components of
a tour.
Inclusions of the Tour Package
 Modern technology has a great
impact on how a tour is packaged.
Due to globalization, modernization
of techniques as to how marketing a
destination is done, virtual tours are
already very prominent these days.
 A simple tour package is a
combination of two or more
components. It can be a
combination of transportation
(airfare) and accommodation
(hotel) and no meals. Or it can be
all meals (Full board), transportation,
and accommodation only, minus the
airfare.
 A tour guide must be aware of the
inclusions (included) and
exclusions (not included) of a tour.
Now that a lot of tours are indeed
customized, and very much “varied”
compared to ten years ago or more,
understanding the package in detail
is an advantage, to be more worry-
free both for the tour guide and for
the guests.
Reconfirmation Flight Reservations
There is no excuse for a tour guide not to
know something about flights of the guests.
Reservation and reconfirmation of flights
are part of the service that we are expected
to know. Here, the skills of learning the
phonetic alphabet is required that includes
knowing the codes of the airline, airport, city
and currency of the different countries of the
world.
Understanding Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT) is also an exciting learning
experience knowing the different time zones
of the earth. The difference between GMT
and the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
What is the local time versus the GMT?
Before, we have to know the exact address
and location of the airline offices, their day
and time of operation, in case we have to
drop by for our guests’ concern about
tickets.
 USA, EUROPE, BRASIL
Flight Itinerary Planning
• Flight itinerary planning is the
process by which a number of
suitable flights are selected to
conform with the passenger’s
desired travel plans
Important Information and Requirements
in the Flight Itinerary Planning
1. Knowledge of the “Four Directions of
the World” (N, E, W, S)
2. The IATA Areas
3. The city / Airport Codes
4. The Airline Codes
5. Types of Journey
Basic Procedure in Flight Itinerary
Planning
• Select direct, non stop flights from
one point to another
• If there is no direct flight, use the
“Hub and Spoke” system.
• Use the OAG flight planner or the
flight schedules in the CRS or the
computerized reservation system.
Local and International City/Airport
Codes
• In the travel and tour industry, there
is what we called “CITY/AIRPORT
CODES "Almost every cities and
airports in the world have their own
specific identifying code.
Airline Codes
• The airline codes however is 2 letter
code to specify the airline also useful
in ticketing and in airline operations.
Phonetic Alphabet
• In any of the reservation whether in
hotels, airlines and other travel
services Phonetic Alphabet is widely
used. Memorizing these codes is
essential in the Hotel and Travel
industry
Selling Other Destinations
 Tour guides are very good sales
and marketing persons.
Effectively they can describe and
give complete information about the
place, having been there many
times.
 Tour guides are expected to give a
balanced information, present both
the weaknesses and strengths of the
destination, the people, culture of
the place, provide an update as to
the negative and positive aspects of
that destinations, warn them of the
things they should not do there, in
short give the guests, the real
situation in the area.
ENTERTAINMENT
 Now days, guests are presented
with many kinds of entertainment.
With the modern technology, the
guests are entertained with not only
few, as before, types of spending
their time in the place visited.
 With the advent of big entertainment
“cities”, or “inclusive resorts”,
entertainment became very
interesting now, not only for a
bachelor, couple, honeymooners,
 but also there are several G- GOLF
entertainment hubs that caters to
H- HOTEL
families.
I- INDIA
 We now have Resorts world,
Solaire, and City of Dreams to name J- JULIET
a few. These are designed to give
entertainment to family members, a K- KILO
real “one-stop” shop for recreation, L- LIMA
sports, musicals and concerts,
wellness, gaming, gastronomy and M- MIKE
even adventure.
N- NOVEMBER
OTHER CONCERN
O- OSCAR
• This means ALL OTHER
P- PAPA
CONCERNS that may arise from the
tour should be part of the tour Q- QUEBEC
guide’s scope of work.
R- ROMEO
• Tour guide does many other things
including being care giver, first aid S- SIERRA
giver, an errand person, a porter and T- TANGO
many exciting but challenging roles.
U- UNIFORM
• The unexpected questions and other
concerns like, why in the Philippines V- VICTOR
there are different sounds of the W- WHISKEY
jeepney’s horn (busina), what is the
urinal for? X- X-RAY

• Being in the field of tourism will allow Y- YANKEE

you to understand and have a better
Z- ZULU
grasp of how entertaining,
challenging and rewarding this work
of a tour guide is.

PHONETIC ALPHABET
A- ALPHA
B- BRAVO
C- CHARLIE
D- DELTA
E- ECHO
F- FOXTROT
AIRLINE CODE IS ASIA (57)
1) Air Asia (AK)
2) Air Asia X (D7)
3) Air China (CA)
4) Air India (AI)
5) Air Macau (NX)
6) All Nippon Airways (NH)
7) Asiana Airlines (OZ)
8) Bangkok Airways (PG)
9) Batik Air (ID)
10) Bhutan Airlines (B3)
11) Cebu Pacific Air (5J)
12) China Airlines (CI)
13) China Eastern Airlines (MU)
14) China Southern Airlines (CZ)
15) Citilink (QG)
16) Dragonair (KA)
17) Eastar Jet (ZE)
18) Emirates (EK)
19) Eva Airways (BR)
20) Firefly (FY)
21) Garuda Indonesia (GA)
22) GoAir (G8)
23) IndiGo Airlines (6E)
24) Japan Airlines (JL)
25) Jeju Air (7C)
26) Jet Airways (9W)
27) Jetstar Asia Airways (3K)
28) Jin Air (LJ)
29) Juneyao Airlines (HO)
1) Korean Air (KE)
2) Lion Air (JT)
3) Lucky Air (8L)
4) Malindo Air (OD)
5) Myanmar National Airlines (UB)
6) Nok Air (DD)
7) Okay Airways (BK)
8) Peach Aviation (MM)
9) Philippine Airlines (PR)
10) Qingdao Airlines (QW)
11) Scoot (TR)
12) Shandong Airlines (SC)
13) Shanghai Airlines (FM)
14) Shenzhen Airlines (ZH)
15) Sichuan Airlines (3U)
16) SilkAir (MI)
17) Singapore Airlines (SQ)
18) SpiceJet (SG)
19) Spring Airlines (9C)
20) SriLankan Airlines (UL)
21) Thai AirAsia (FD)
22) Thai Airways International (TG)
23) Tiger Airways (TR)
24) Tigerair Taiwan (IT)
25) Vanilla Air (JW)
26) VietJet Air (VJ)
27) Vietnam Airlines (VN)
28) XiamenAir (MF)
Major airports in the Philippines and their corresponding airport codes:
1. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) - Manila
2. Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) - Cebu
3. Clark International Airport (CRK) - Angeles/Pampanga
4. Kalibo International Airport (KLO) - Aklan/Boracay
5. Francisco Bangoy International Airport (DVO) - Davao
6. Iloilo International Airport (ILO) - Iloilo City
7. Bacolod-Silay International Airport (BCD) - Bacolod City
8. Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS) - Palawan
9. Zamboanga International Airport (ZAM) - Zamboanga City
10. Laguindingan Airport (CGY) - Cagayan de Oro
11. General Santos International Airport (GES) - General Santos City
12. Roxas Airport (RXS) - Roxas City
13. Legazpi Airport (LGP) - Legazpi City
14. Tuguegarao Airport (TUG) - Tuguegarao City
15. Bohol-Panglao International Airport (TAG) - Panglao Island, Bohol
16. Laoag International Airport (LAO) - Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
17. Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport (DGT) - Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
18. Tagbilaran Airport (TAG) - Tagbilaran City, Bohol
19. Naga Airport (WNP) - Naga City, Camarines Sur
20. Cotabato Airport (CBO) - Cotabato City, Maguindanao
21. Dipolog Airport (DPL) - Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte
22. Surigao Airport (SUG) - Surigao City, Surigao del Norte
23. Siargao Airport (IAO) - Del Carmen, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte
24. Marinduque Airport (MRQ) - Gasan, Marinduque
25. Camiguin Airport (CGM) - Mambajao, Camiguin
26. San Jose Airport (SJI) - San Jose, Occidental Mindoro
27. Basco Airport (BSO) - Basco, Batanes
28. Caticlan Airport (MPH) - Malay, Aklan
29. Busuanga Airport (USU) - Coron, Palawan
30. Virac Airport (VRC) - Virac, Catanduanes