2020-04-07
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A guided tour is the process of acquainting with the peculiarities of nature, history, lifestyle and sights of a certain city or region. It is a methodically thought-out presentation (показ) of cultural heritage sites, monuments of history and culture and a skilled tour commentary (рассказ) about the events associated with it.
A guided tour consists of two closely related activities - a tour guide‘s activity and tour participants‘ activity which involves observation, examination and exploring of attractions.
A guided tour is a tour guide‘s product and involves two stages - preparation and carrying out. One of the most specific forms of interaction between a tour guide and tour participants is engaging tour participants in the guided tour making them not only passive listeners but arousing and keeping their interest during the tour. That‘s why for a tour guide it‘s not only essential to have extensive knowledge but also acquire great tour guiding skills using different guiding techniques.
A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on
organized tours and individual clients at educational establishments, religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest, attractions sites.
A tour guide is someone who shows visitors around an area, with the guide using extensive local knowledge to share the area with visitors. Tour guides are hired to help people navigate unfamiliar areas, and to make trips special, as a good tour guide sets a positive tone for a trip and shows people things they would not have discovered otherwise. Using a tour guide while traveling can also be useful because tour guides are very knowledgeable, and they can provide facts and information which help visitors interpret and understand the places they see.
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Some tour guides work primarily locally, focusing on providing services to tourists by request. They may work in museums or similar locations, or they may work with or for companies which take tourists out on day trips of an area. Tour guides might lead visitors on tours of local religious sites, castles, gardens, or other sites of interest, tailoring the tour for the visitors. Locally-based tour guides are also often able to open doors which would otherwise be closed, and their local knowledge can be helpful for people who are unfamiliar with the culture and traditions of an area. Other tour guides travel with their clients, guiding them to, around, and from various locations. For example, a group of people who want to hike in the rainforest might hire a tour guide who travels with them, guides them through the forest while providing information and assistance, and travels back. Tour guides of this type often work with travel agents, with the agent handling the logistics of transportation, lodging, and so forth, while the tour guide focuses on caring for the
clients.
Guided tours with groups can vary in cost, from free tours in many cities in the world provided by public service organizations to much more expensive organized trips such as treks in Nepal. It is also possible to hire a private tour guide who works with a client or group of clients to develop a customized tour, which tends to be more
costly, but includes personalized and detailed attention, which some people enjoy while traveling.
Being knowledgeable in several languages is useful for a tour guide, as tour guides may work with multilingual clients, or may need to translate for clients while traveling in a country where a foreign language is spoken. In addition to having language skills, tour guides also need to have excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to work tirelessly for their clients from the moment the engagement begins to the time that the clients are safely seen on their way.
Features of a guided tour
Each guided tour should have the following features:
1. Tour duration – from an hour to a day
2. Tour participants – groups or individuals;
3. A tour guide
4. On-site presentation
5. Movement en route
6. Thematic character
7. Tour participants activity – observation, examination and exploration Besides these basic features each guided tour may have its own peculiarities.
· coach guided tours :
- presentation of attractions with a coach moving slowly (показ объектов при замедленном движении автобуса) ;
- off-site presentation (показ объектов при остановке движения автобуса без выхода из него);
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- on-site presentation (показ объектов с выходом экскурсантов из автобуса);
· museum guided tours
- presentation of displayed information (знакомство с материалами, расположенными на стендах);
· plant guided tours
- demonstration tools and machines in operation (демонстрация действующих объектов - станков, агрегатов, механизмов)
Classification of guided tours
All guided tours are classified by:
1. the content ( содержанию);
2. the composition and number of tour participants (составу и количеству участников)
3. the venue and means of locations (месту проведения);
4. mode of movement (способу передвижения);
5. duration (продолжительности;
6. the form of realization (форме проведения).
Escorted Tour
Escorted Tours are our most popular tourist product. Escorted tours are normally conducted by a tour director who takes care of all services from beginning to end of the tour. Escorted tours normally include flights, hotels, transportation, transfers to the airport/hotel, most meals and sightseeing. Escorted tours are conducted by motor-coach and usually no more than 2 nights are spent in each location visited. Escorted Tours are usually fast-paced and prices include much of the sightseeing.
Airport Pick up and Transfer to the Hotel ( Canarini Tour Guides Lesson 9 )
Before you go to the airport make sure that you have
· Flight details.
· Which airlines
· Where‘s the arrival hall
· Flight number
· When is the arrival time
· Customers information
- how many people
- name list
- special requirements: handicap wheelchair
- activity program
· Sign board with customers‘ name
· Contact number of the driver that will transfer customers to the hotel or the indicated point in the program.
· Wear your name on a tag badge. For pick up at the airport
· Be present at least 15 minutes early at the correct arrival hall.
· Check the arrival time on the flight information board at the arrival hall.
· Stand at an easy spotted place at the gate and hold the sign board with the guests‘ names.
When you meet your guest
· Greetings. Introduce yourself and check the guests‘ names once again.
· Make sure that you picked up all members of the group counting over and over ensuring everyone is presented.
· Assist guests with their luggage if possible.
· Check with your guests to assure that they have all pieces of luggage with them. Each guest is responsible for his own luggage.
· Count the total number of luggage pieces, write it down on a piece of paper and have it signed by the group leader.
· Call your driver and confirm the place and time to meet.
· Lead your guests to the meeting point with the vehicle and driver.
· Check with the guests about the activity program.
- If you program and guests‘ program is the same go with guests to the place as indicated in the program.
- If your program and guests‘ program is different contact your tour operator id this tour is handled by a tour operator or discuss with guests if the guests give information to you directly.
· Wait until all your guests have seated on the vehicle and all the luggage is stored in the vehicle before moving to the destination.
· Take your seat next to the driver.
When you are on the vehicle with guests
· Call the hotel or the place the guests are arriving at. Remind the hotel that the welcome services such as welcome drink, room key, food should be ready upon guests‘ arrival.
· Friendly talk to warm up.
· Brief presentation.
Give guests the introduction of what to expect on the tour. A great tour guide will also take the time to know guests: where they are from, why they‘re visiting, their interests, and if there are others on the tour, the tour guide will introduce everyone on the tour to each other.
The best guide spends time getting to know all guests on the tour in a genuine way in order to accommodate guests the best. Do not mistake this with intrusive questions. They are on the tour to have a good time, not to be interrogated. Do so moderately during the car ride, over lunch, drinks or as guests walk from side to side.
1. Observe guests.
If they are sleeping please be mindful and silent during their rest. If the guests are excited with the new place, conduct an informative and friendly conversation.
At the Drop-off Hotel Destination
· As soon as the car stops be the first person to get off the vehicle to open the door for guests.
· Assist guest with transferring their luggage from the vehicle to the hotel concierge destination.
· Lead guests to the Reception
- If your guests booked hotel by themselves you just say goodbye and let them check in by themselves.
- If you are requested to assist the hotel check in the guests you need to have the hotel‘s booking confirmation and the room list ready. Then proceed with the check-in formality of the hotel.
· Confirm with your guests that the next activity includes clear information of time and location, etc. Then leave, so your guests have their own relaxing time before the next activity.
Check-in Hotel (Canarini Guide Tour Lesson 10)
Before Check-in Hotel
· Ensure that you have the booking confirmation ready.
· Double check with the hotel to reconfirm all the information in the booking confirmation.
· Double check with your guests about the information the hotel confirmation includes.
- the check-in and check-out time
- the total number of rooms
- room category assigned to each person Upon arrival at the hotel
· Ensure that each guest receives all of their luggage and double check with the driver that there isn‘t any luggage left on the vehicle.
· Ask guests to keep the luggage themselves and lead them to their reception area.
Check-in formality
· Collect your group passports and arrange them in the order of names in the rooming list.
· Ensure that you collect all passports from your group.
· Tell your guests to take a seat at the lobby and wait for you.
· Show the receptionist:
- booking confirmation of the hotel
- passports of all the guests
· Get from the receptionist:
- rooming list
- keys as indicated in the rooming list
· Deliver keys to your guests:
- announce the guests‘ names by room and deliver key for each room
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- ensure that each guest has one key of their room
- instruct guests to bring their luggage to their room and ask for the concierge assistant if it‘s available.
· Advise the time and the meeting point for the next activity if there is any.
Guided/Hosted Tour
Guided Tours are somewhat similar to Escorted tours but passengers are greeted by a local representative rather than a Tour Director and will not be escorted to all activities and functions. Local guides will be available to answer questions through the duration of the tour. Some meals, accommodations and sightseeing may be included in your tour. This style is ideal for people who want some freedom but still have the comfort of a guide.
Guided tours by the content: sightseeing tours and thematic tours.
Sightseeing tours are mostly based on historical and contemporary material using presentation of different tourist attractions, such as historical & cultural monuments, buildings & structures, natural sites, venues of famous events, industrial and agricultural enterprises, etc. All the events are presented in the chronological order – from the first records in the chronicles up to date developments. Sightseeing tours usually include several sub-topics such as history of the city, a brief description of industry, science, culture, education.
Sightseeing tours include general features. They can be carried out at any place
- in the city, in the museum, in the park, in the palace or in the gallery.
While having a guided tour you will be given general information, which gives imagination about the presence of certain landmarks, objects, sculptural, artistic heritage or architectural monuments.
The hallmark of sightseeing tour is that for you will be able to get a lot of interesting and useful information about a city, a museum, a gallery and other objects of the excursions in a short period of time.
Sightseeing tours usually last from 2 to 4 hours. But any way our professional guides are ready to develop the individual sightseeing tours with the duration of more than 4 hours for you.
Standard sightseeing tour of Moscow is devoted to architectural monuments and buildings mostly.
Sightseeing can be done in various ways, and although the most popular tends to be sightseeing by tour bus or coach, some companies offer sightseeing walking tours. If you become a sightseeing tour guide, learning how to drive a charter tour bus is an essential skill to have on your resume and nowadays, you are more likely to be hired as a sightseeing guide if you can provide the narration and drive the tour bus. Long distance sightseeing tours often make use of step on tour guides. These are guides based in a particular town or at a specific attraction, who will join the tour at a specific point to provide narration for that part of the tour. Aside from coaches,
sightseeing tours can also take place on city trams or trolleys adding to the atmosphere of the tour, and even trains.
Thematic guided tours are devoted to one theme and may be divided into: historical tours, architectural & city planning tours, plant tours, art tours, literary tours, ecological tours etc.
In Moscow we offer such thematic tours as Mysterious Moscow, Romantic Moscow, Mystical Moscow, Literary Moscow, Criminal Moscow, Moscow at Night etc.
Guided tours by the type and number of tour participants
- individual tours
- group tours
- tours for locals (для местного населения)
- tours for visitors (приезжих туристов)
- tours for adults (взрослых)
- tours for schoolchildren (школьников), etc.
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