December 17, 2018

Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

Understanding some terms

Tourist
 People who leave their homes to temporarily visit a
place
 They should be spending and not earning money
from the place they visit
 Reasons can be pleasure, meetings or seminar
 With the intention of learning something about
the place like its history, people, culture
Basic factors for a successful tourist destination

 Attractions which can be site itself or an event

 Amenities or facilities like accommodation, food,
local, transportation, communication and
entertainment at the site
 Accessibility
 Peace and order
Characteristics of Tourism

 Product is not brought to the consumer

 The tourism product is not used up, it doesn’t
exhaust the country’s natural resources
 People oriented
 Labor intensive
 Multi dimensional
 Seasonal
 Dynamic
 Characterized by the changing ideas of its
customers
Nature of Tour Reception and Guiding

 First impression of tourists play a very important

role
 Receiving tourist is just like receiving guests in your
home
 Show the best without boasting or overdoing
 Guiding is not simply telling them “to your left, to
your right”, there’s a lot more into it.
Duties and Responsibilities

 Provide them information and explanations about

the place honestly without prejudice
 Ensure a factual presentation, make sure to
distinguish the truth stories, legends, traditions
 Act fairly and reasonably in all dealings with
colleagues and co-workers
 Always act with tact and diplomacy in dealing with
the guests
Cont… Duties and Responsibilities

 Always report for duty healthy and positively

 Never take advantage of the ignorance of the
tourists
 Never allow yourself to be used by unscrupulous
organizations who want to take advantage of the
tourists
 Use common sense and be honest by saying “I don’t
know,…. I will check,……
Cont… Duties and Responsibilities

 Ensure guest’s safety, warn them on:

 Plants that might cause some allergies
 Food and drinks that might not suit their
digestive system
 Elevation for those with vertigo and fear of
height
 Dogs that might bite
 Presence of pickpockets in crowded areas
Cont… Duties and Responsibilities

 Protect the reputation of tourism by making every

assignment a treat, with respect to the
environment, wildlife, sights & monuments, local
customs & tradition
 Act responsively as representative of the place and
the people
Communication Skills

 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 something
 Use non-verbal communication in a difficult thing
or situation
 Speak audibly, not too soft and not too loud
 Conduct your commentary in a relaxed,
entertaining manner (remember, they came here to
enjoy)
Guiding Techniques

 Be prepared, study the destination

 Plan your spiel or commentary, it should be
structured
 Have an update on the local and global news and
environmental issues
 Intercede when necessary in the interaction with
the guest and the locals
 Be aware on the basic human behavior and
attitudes
Cont….. Guiding Techniques

 Do research to back up your facts

 Be ready for pertinent and impertinent questions

 In cases of having more than one guide, find some

time to sit down, discuss to synchronize
information and learn from each other

 Never tell your personal life at the first meeting