Principles of Tour Guiding

Chapter 1: The Meaning and Classification of Tour Guide

Tourist Guide or Tour Guide is defined as the one who conducts a tour with a broad
knowledge of a particular area. They are often referred as the orphans of the travel agency as they
are somewhat hidden in the trade of the tourism products. This is cause by the limitations posed
by the nature of the travel agency.
A Tour Guide is an individual that is licensed by the local government and are accredited
by the Department of Tourism. Their expertise is usually determined by geography and history.
Tour guides, or tourist guides, are members of the hospitality and travel industry who show visitors
around places of interest. Tour guides may lead groups or individuals through historical sites,
museums, geographic destinations and on outdoor excursions.
Tour guides and travel managers are often gets confusing, tour guides are regarded as the
primary educator while tour managers functions more on the administrative and social aspects of
the tour thus ensuring that the tourist are receiving and the service correctly.

Types of Guides
➢ Urban Guide – these types of guides take pleasure in telling the story of a city or a region
where the tour is taking place. They are also known as step-on guides as they step-on motor
coaches. These guides mainly work for travel agencies or tour operators with combines
roles. Commonly these types of guides are experienced guides and are also professionals
in some field of study. They are commonly found on large metropolitan cities but are also
found in smaller areas or region.
➢ Government Guides – these guides are employed by the state or the government. They are
specialized guides that shows important historic, cultural, political, and scientific facilities.
Usually, these types of guides have high language proficiency.
➢ Driver guides – this type of guides conducts the tours while driving the motor coach. They
have gained various controversies because of the dual responsibility of both driving ang
tour guiding.
➢ Business or Industry Guide – this type is hired by corporations to conduct tours of their
facilities to educate visitors and promote to uplift the image of their company. They also
serve as the salesperson and public relations for their company.
➢ Adventure Guide – this type specializes on sports activities. Due to the dynamic nature of
tourism and the emerging trends in the travel industry there has been a significant rise on
the demand for this type of guides. But has also raised concern about safety and security.
➢ Tour Managers – this type of guide administers and regulates the tours and ensures the
smooth operation of the tour itinerary.
 ➢ Interpreters – this field of tour guiding has developed into a respected field which offers
practitioners at all levels a big amount of literature, and active supportive professionals.
They are often found on private homes, museums, and sites all over the world.
➢ Escort interpreters – an escort interpreter is one who accompanies foreign visitors who are
officially incited by the government. He is a well-educated linguist wo travels with the
throughout the country at least a month to translate for them, the primary role of an escort
interprets is to make sure that the visitor receives the accommodations, transportation,
meals, and events promised to them.
➢ Docent or Volunteer Guides – they are commonly found on most at visitor centers,
museums, historic houses, churches, and other places people usually visit. In exchange for
their educational programs, they are required to have a commitment in the number of hours
or days that they can commit.

Chapter 2: The History of Tour Guiding

The Ancient Times

• The Ancient Empire travel developed from 3000 BC to 500 A.D. Guides are named
“periegetai” (leaders around) or exegetai (explainer) in the Greek language. The
tasks of “Proxemos” were to help fellow people travel abroad. During ancient time,
food gathering (plucking fruits) was the earliest reason for travel. Business and
commerce were also a strong driving force followed by pilgrimage, and spiritual
and scholarly pursuits (learning). It is also recorded that men travelled to fight. (In
wars) and to satisfy their curiosity to see the unknown. Whatever may be the reason,
from time unknown, travel has held a great fascination for people. In ancient period,
it was more of an unconscious, unstructured, simple, and non-formal activity.
• Herodotus “The first travel writer”. He was able to provide numerous references to
guides. Negative of guides who were inclined to recite with great opportunity, dates,
dialogues, and other information about who lived hundreds of years ago.
The Middle Age
• The period between Rome's fall and the Renaissance is known as the Dark Ages
(500 A.D. and 1508 A.D.). Rome's fall has led to a decline in trade and the economy
in general and a decline in travel desire. Guides positions are pathfinders,
protectors, security escorts and even bridges during this era are stressed to ensure
safe passage. A guide was paid a large fee, according to Casson, a historian,
because he not only led the way but also created safe behavior for the travelers.
The Renaissance and the Grand Tour

• Tour Guiding during the Renaissance and the tour guide's Grand Tour image was
greatly enhanced during the Renaissance. It was during this period that the Grand
 Tour, a prescribed route from England through France, Germany, Australia,
Switzerland to Italy, was traveled by young men of the upper classes from Britain.
Grand Tourist was expected to return from his travel with a broadened mind, a good
command of foreign languages, self-reliance, a highly developed taste, and graceful
manner.

✓ Cicerone was expected to be articulate, multi-lingual, and well-

versed in many subjects including history, literature, architecture,
and current events.

✓ Vicesimus Knox (an expert on education) – the ideal tutor was a

grave, respectable man of mature age who would watch over the
morals and religion of his pupil.
• For this reason, they hired a vetturino a driver of the Italian for four-wheeled
carriages called veturra, was able to find things with highway robbers to ensure the
safe conduct of the tourist.
✓ Francis Bacon is a British writer remarked on the need for a
personal guide/courier when traveling specially one who was a
linguist and who knows the right people to meet and the proper
things.
The Modern Age

• During the 18th and 19th century travelers to and within the New World were
explorers rather than pleasure travelers. The first travelers were ordinary often
indigent explorers who traveled a lot to find a new way of life.

✓ Charles Dickens, Francis Trollope, and Alexis de Tocqueville

(The 3 well known European writers who visited the New World in
the 19th century) traveled widely and wrote comprehensive
accounts of their travels but rarely mentioned guides.

The Tour Guide in Europe

• No evidence exists of organized training for guides before the 12th century other than the
company training given by the Thomas Cook Travel Agency.
• England was one of the 1st countries to regulate and train guides.
• The competitive, aggressive approach by tour guides towards visitors and with each other
prompted the London Country Council and the Regent Street Polytechnic to open a training
course for guides in 1936 to 1939.
• European guides have been widely regarded as having the most advanced training and the
highest guiding standards in the world.
Chapter 3: The Traveler
Classifications of travelers by Valene Smith
1. Explorers – they are participant observers who travel alone in very small groups.
2. Elite Travelers – they can afford to spend much to have a usual travel experience.
3. Off-Beat Travelers – they travel alone in very small numbers; they avoid crowds, other
tourist, and typical sightseeing.
4. Unusual Tourist – they demand more amenities and look for unusual, adventurous primitive
experiences.
5. Incipient Mass Tourist – they represent the business and vacation travelers.
6. Mass Tourist – they are large groups of middle-class travelers who visit popular sites.
7. Charter Tourist – they arrive in large volume generating more business but often demands
impersonal and standardized services.

The Group Traveler

Group travel refers to any organized, multi-day trip that you pre-book and meet a group of
other travelers who booked the same trip. These groups can range in size from a few people up to
full coach buses of 50 or more travelers. These groups will often include a trip leader, pre-planned
activities, and will have most of your lodging and meals organized. The goal of group travel is to
make the trip easy for you to kick back and enjoy without having to worry about your own logistics.
o Student Groups – student group travels are popular in some regions specially on
historic places or in places that lend themselves in some way to the curriculum of
the school. Ages 11-17 are usually the participants of these tours.
o Business Travelers – they include those who are visiting the region to conduct
business such as sales, research, meetings, and conferences.
o Incentive Traveler – they are the ones on the business sector that were given trips
by their company as a reward of their accomplishments to motivate to achieve more
for the company.
o Family Travelers – organized tours for families have become a trend in the tourism
industry.
o Senior Citizens – these travelers enjoy a passive and leisurely tours.
o Club or Affinity Groups – these travelers usually have a common interest and are
already pre-acquainted with each other.
o Public Group Tours – the only element these travelers share is that they have
decided to visit the same place at the same time; they are not acquainted with each
other.

International Travelers
As the way of living for the people continue to improve travel has become more attainable
throughout the world, thus increasing international travel in every country. The rise of international
travel and communication had produced a great amount of literature, theory, and advice about how
to understand travelers by interpreting different customs body language and personalities of the
people around the world. The most fundamental aspect of relating to people from other countries
is to understand and appreciate their values as they contrast with their own.

The Socially Responsible Travelers

Much has been said about the responsibility of the industry to travelers but any discussion
about travelers would not be complete without mentioning the responsibility of travelers would
not be complete without mentioning the responsibility of the travelers today. Man has come to a
point which many of the most significant aspects of civilized life are threatened such as regionality,
language, cultures, wildlife, rich ecosystems, and even the earth itself.