The Best Tour Officer Training: Proffesional Guides

Guiding is a profession that requires charismatic and informed people on their area of specialization. We have different types of area in tourism where people can engage in this art of entertaining people with information they have either been trained on or inherited from their forefathers. We have like animal specialist, herbalist, ethnologists, heritage site guide, adventure guide who engage in such activities like Water rafting, rock climbing, biking, and bujee jumping, diving, wild hunting, among others

Since tourism is very diverse these guide should be well training to be a specialized in every aspect of tourism and a master of none. What I mean here is that they should at least have the general overall knowledge of all the tourism product being offered in their country and never ever say to a visiting group that " I don’t know" which is always a way of compromising their integrity.

For a place with very diverse attraction a visitor should expect to have a heritage guide, a naturalist guide, an ornithologist, cultural guide on their respective sites they visit this is in addition to the National or international tour guide/leader they have. This will not only enhance their experience upon the country they visit bust also will increase tourism arrival in that country due to referral they will have back home as a result of excellent services. This then necessitate the importance of having well trained and qualified people in the tourism industry.

What should constitute a training package?

1. General tourism Knowledge

- History
This should constitute the history of the welcoming country as well as the history of the source markets. This will make the tour guide have a preview of what to give and what the visitors expect. It should be a detailed account for both sides travel behavior and visitors responsiveness

- Market treads
This should train the tour guider on who travels when and what they travel for. It will enable him to have that specialized knowledge of their want. Example may include people who travel for familiazation purpose and when they do it. Schools and other institution visiting time, holiday markers season among other treads. People travel at different time of the year for different purpose and that constitute the market tread.

- Tourism policies regulations
This will enhance his/her knowledge on his country policies on tourism and other tourism related regulation like for photography, national Parks, Restaurant and beach hotels requirement, Cultural preference of the host community among other regulations that will dictate the behavior of conduct of the tourist. They will thus be able to advise the visitors accordingly.

- Product knowledge
This is the overall county product on offer knowledge. They range from available physical attractions, Cultural and heritage attractions, themes parks, city parks, sports, Eco-tourism, accommodation, Entertainment, Special events among others. This will make them have a clear purpose on tourism

2. The responsibilities of a tour guide

- Information
The should be trained on product information delivery on their area of specialization

- Security
They should provide security for the clients and liaise with the relevant authority incase of anything

- Completing of the program
They should be advised that they are the final product delivery personnel. They complement the enthusiasm of the client. Thus they should be knowledgeable on the product.

3. Customer care and Communication skills

-Handling customers
We have different customers who have different need and behavior. The tour guide should be trained of people behavior. The problem solving techniques and other customer care attributes.

-Business language
They should be trained on the language of their specialization. Terms used in ornithology and botany are totally different. And since they are selling the organization/country image they should have the very best language on that area they are specialized on.

-Handling emergencies/First Aid
They should be trained don how to handle emergencies and other problems in a tour package/program. Accidents happened and thus one should be trained on basic first aid skill. A little action can save a life

This is not an exhaustive requirement of a tour guide training module but a general overview of what it should constitute.