Job of a tour guide: You must have heard at times that a tour guide should be responsible and should complete his/her job on time. Responsibility refers to successfully expediting your work with full devotion.
A tour guide has many responsibilities for e.g. reaching the hotel on time, asking all the team members about their likes and dislikes, to ensure all facilities and amenities on the way, to take the tourists to marked places in the itinerary on time etc. Â
Also read Role of a Tourist Guide
It is the responsibility of the tour guide to help travellers understand the place/ monument/ theme park/ location etc. Understanding a place means knowing its importance – culturally and historically and to be aware of the culture of the region and the way of life of its inhabitants. They have to promote the cultural heritage and relay to the visitors the significance of the place they are visiting. Â
Importance of tour guides in the tourism and travel business
Tour guiding is an old profession; the concept of tour guiding has existed since ancient times. Tour guides help you locate the place, to know each and every detail of the place, to interpret icons, to understand the culture of the place, to understand the language and interact with the locals, and to enjoy.
Tourist guides play a major role by escorting tourists and interpreting places for a unique feel. A tour manager/guide is the most important person for a tour operator. He is the link between tourists and tour operators. The success or failure of a tour depends on his capability to handle a particular tour.
Also read Tour Guiding
He has more of s significance in adventure tours because of the specialized nature of this activity. Thus most companies expect the guide to have a better experience in leading tours. The roles and expectations of a tour operator is listed below:-
- The tour manager/guide acts as a representative of the travel company.
- Tour manager/guide also acts as an ‘arbitrator’. In case of any confusion/ confrontation like the quality of services, the tour manager has to take appropriate decision.
- The tour operator has a ‘comprehensive responsibility’ to put the tour together, expedite reservations, do marketing, handle money related aspects, and manage tour managers/ guides.
Without a tour guide a tour is not as interesting. There is no story and amusement. A tour guide engages the tourists with chit chat and keeps them busy. He/she also suggests what to and what not to eat. He/she also suggests the local cuisine to you. People going to Tel Aviv may enjoy the local cuisine or famous restaurants, they can also know about the culture.
Also read Tour Guiding in a museum
For example, in Israel, people settle differences on the dinner table in a good restaurant. Thus tour guides connect the tourists with the place. Otherwise, the tourists will simply go to the place and come back after seeing it without connecting with the place.Â
