2. LEARNING OBJECTIVE
At the of this chapter, you are expectedto:
1. Describe qualities of an ideal tour guide.
2. Explain the meaning and importance of moments of
truth.
3. Explain the cycle service.
4. Discuss the seven sins of service as applied to
guiding.
3. LEARNING OBJECTIVE
5. Explain how a tour guide deals with the ff.
a. Students
b. senior citizens
c. “difficult” people
d. habitually late passengers.
6. Describe the role of a tour guide in developing
cross-cultural understanding.
4. QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL TOUR GUIDE
1. Enthusiasm – The most important characteristic of
successful guides it the keen interest for the
subject matter and the travelers.
2. An outgoing and approachable nature – Since
guides are in the business of meeting, welcoming
and working for strangers, it is important that they
be friendly, open in many types of situations an
encourage others to do the same.
5. 3. Self-confidence – developing self-confidence in a
career requires self esteem combined with
experience.
4. A proactive nature - One of the signs of a leader is
the belief to initiate change and the willingness to
assume responsibility for initiating change.
5. Sensitivity – The term sensitivity includes a
wide range of human understanding.
6. Flexibility – This includes the ability to be
adaptable and patient.
7. Authenticity – This characteristic means
genuineness and honesty
6. 8. A pleasant, professional appearance - First
impressions are often lasting and are frequently based
on one’s physical appearance.
9. Sense of humor – A good sense of humor can bring
people closer together, put them at ease and help
make travel enjoyable instead of stressful and
unpleasant.
10. Knowledge – A well rounded body of knowledge
about different topics is very important.
11. Good communication skills – The most
knowledgeable and sensitive person will not succeed as
a guide without the ability to communicate well.
7. 12. Organization – Time management and
organizational skills are very important skills.
13. Decisiveness – A guide must be able to make
quick decisions.
14. Good health – Guiding is strenuous. It entails a
good deal of walking, long and irregular hours,
different diets and eating schedules; the stress of
always being in the spotlight requires plenty of energy
and flexibility.
15. Personal integrity – A strong sense of ethics is
essential to success.
16. Charisma – Charisma is defined as “a personal
magic of leadership arousing popular loyalty or
enthusiasm
8. MOMENT OF TRUTH
The success or failure in guiding as
in any service industry depends on
what is now commonly referred to
as “moment of truth,” a term
coined by Jan Carlzon, president of
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
9. CYCLE OF SERVICE
To determine whether or not a customer’s
moments of truth are favorable, Albrecht
advises a company or individual to identify
their customer’s moments of truth or those
instances in which the customer comes in
contact with the service and formulates an
opinion.
10. THE SEVEN SINS OF SERVICE
1. Treating customers with apathy – Travelers will
forgive many shortcomings in a guide except
apathy.
2. Brushing customers off – A guide who gives the
impression that he or she would rather be
elsewhere turn away customers quickly.
3. Being cold to customers – The failure of guides to
be sincere and friendly and the lack of desire to
share one’s self with people express coldness
toward business
11. 4. Treating customers with condescension – The attitude of
treating customers as being on a lower level is common
complaint of visitors.
5. Working like a robot – Over the years, guiding has attracted
many robots. Many guides adapted the “I can do this with my
eyes closed” attitude.
6. Getting hung up on the rule book – Several service industry
leaders proposed that guides should refrain from saying “Sorry,
our policy is..” if they are not convinced that deviating from the
rule book is detrimental to anyone.
7. Giving customers the “run-around” – In cases where a task
falls outside the guide’s responsibility or expertise, his or her
handling of the situation can make the difference between a
visitor getting assistance or feeling as if he is getting the run-
around
12. WORKING WITH DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS
Students
As many sites and cities around the world provide
ideal learning environments for children of all
ages, the number of student trips is increasing
considerably.
13. Senior Citizens
are the favorite age group of
guides. The perception of senior citizens as
grumpy and demanding are largely unjustified.
14. Guides should keep in mind the following when
guiding senior citizens:
1. Allow extra time for the tour as many activities
will take longer, such as getting on and off a
motor coach, eating and walking anywhere.
2. Pause frequently and make several short stops
on walking tours.
3. Be particularly attentive to fatigue or any sign
of stress or illness.
15. 4. Pay close attention to special medical
problems or difficulties and pay special attention
to their status.
5. Since hearing and memory problems are more
common as people age, always repeat
instructions, especially meeting times.
16. WORKING WITH “DIFFICULTIES” PEOPLE
Guides, like others who work with people, meet
tourist who complain, those who are late or those
who dominate others. If such scrutiny is
disheartening, guides should note the following:
1. People travel on tours to enjoy themselves
2. Most people would like to see the guide
success.
3. No one expects perfection
17. ESTABLISHING RAPPORT AND COHESIVENESS
Rapport- means a sympathetic relationship and
mutual trust. Many psychologist and human relations
experts advocate learning techniques for developing
rapport.
The following tips can help guides develop
rapport and maintain cohesiveness and order:
1. Be prepared.
2. Adopt an attitude of friendliness and take
responsibility for creating and maintaining
harmony.
3. Let visitors know that their enjoyment is of
primary concern.
18. 4. Respects others and be careful.
5. Give clear instructions.
6. Don’t give ultimatums that cannot or will not be
enforced.
7. Follow through on promises.
8. Avoid playing favorites.
9. Exemplify the desired behavior
19. WORKING UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
In case of customer complaints, guides
should ask themselves these questions:
1. What exactly is the complaint?
2. Is the guest’s complaint valid?
3. Can be situation be resolved easily?
20. DEALING WITH HABITUALLY LATE PASSENGERS
Habitually late passengers are common
problem of tour guides. Giving firm time is
very important so that 9:00 o’clock will not
be interpreted as 9:09. Leaving behind a late
person is many times reasonable and
justified.
21. DEALING WITH DIFFICULT QUESTIONS
1. Questions for which a guide does not have an answer. – For
many guides, particularly new guides, the most feared
situation is being asked a question they cannot answer.
2. Questions whose answers are controversial – Guides are
often asked questions about politics, religion, local scandals
or pending criminal cases.
3. Questions that are too personal – There are questions that
are very personal that no one should be asking and no one is
obliged to answer.
4. Questions that shed an unfavorable light on the guide or
some aspect of the region – Very often, people ask
questions just to see how a guide will respond.
22. In summary, the following factors are helpful in
answering questions:
1. Welcome question.
2. Be gracious, even when the question is “difficult”
3. Never regard a question as stupid or trivial.
4. Never feel obliged to answer personal questions.
5. Acknowledge a controversial question, then move
on to more positive points.
6. Use humor when appropriate
23. CROSS-CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
1. Learn about the people and cultures of the
world.
Through media, literature, school, one
can learn much about the values and preferences
of others.
24. 2. Travel.
By eating the food of other countries, listening
to music and experiencing their activities
travelers can learn people that is not possible
through reading.
25. 3. Learn a language.
Learning and using other’s language is one of the
most basic and effective gestures in attaining
positive cross-cultural experience like
“welcome”, “hello”, “please”.
26. 4. Participate in specialized cross-cultural
training.
Cross-cultural training literature, courses and
seminars are now available for tourist. Since
training is necessary to guide to intensify the
travel experience.
27. The following basic guidelines are
recommended by cross-cultural councilors for
those who work with different cultures and
languages:
1. Speak slowly and distinctly until the level of
understanding is established.
2. Pay attention to voice volume.
3. Encourage listener to question what they do
not understand or interrupt, if they need to
have something repeated.
28. 4. Encourage reassured visitors in their
used
of language.
5. Be Patient.
6. Speak in terms of positive rather than
negative.
7. In case an interpreter is present talk to
listener and not to be interpreter.
