TOUR GUIDING SKILLS

HTT 257
GUIDING –
AN INTERPRETIVE
APPROACH
CHAPTER 1
 Guiding –
An Interpretive Approach
• 1.1 The guiding environment
• 1.2 An interpretive approach to
guiding
• 1.3 A tourism industry overview
• 1.4 Types of tours
 1.1THE GUIDING ENVIRONMENT

The Guide
• Facilitating and managing the tour
experience
• Museums, historic sites, galleries,
national parks, cities etc
• Volunteer, employee, freelance, (pkerja bebas)

contract basis etc

The Audience
• Clients or customers
• Visitors from towns, foreigners etc
• All ages & demographic b’ground
• Diff unique interests, expectations,
motivations and needs.
• Individuals, couples, groups etc
The Environment
• Where the tour takes place
• Historic house, national parks, museum,
cityscape etc
• Logistic, organization policies,
relationship with colleagues & other
elements which can influence the tour
experience.
 The Tour Experience
Relationship between:
• Audience = environment
• Audience = guide
• Guide = environment
• Between all THREE
 1.2 AN INTERPRETIVE APPROACH
TO TOUR GUIDING
Interpretation??
“one of a number of communication
disciplines which seeks to generate an
increased understanding and
appreciation of our environment.”
• Word ‘interpretation’ – Latin interpretari
means to explain / to translate
• Explain – features / characteristics of
a site / means something to people
• Principles of interpretation such as:
 Process of learning & understanding
 Seeks to reveal meanings
 Involves communication
 Stimulate an appreciation – nature & culture
 Aims to bring items and events life
Face to face interpretation and
interpretive media
• Face to face interpretation
Interact directly with the audience
National parks, museums, TIC etc
Park rangers, tourist guide, visitor service
staff
• Interpretive Media
Use of medium between interpreter &
audience
Brochures, publications, displays, books,
audiotapes etc
Internet
Via website / homepage
 1.3 TOURISM INDUSTRY
OVERVIEW
TOURISM SECTORS
Tour operators / wholesalers
Transportation
Retail travel agencies
Attractions
Hospitality industry
Tour Operators / wholesalers
Planning and designing the tour
packages
Bring together – tourism services &
products
Reconfirmation tour details
Managing tour managers / tourist
guides
Transportation
o Coaches, airlines, cruise liners, cars,
bicycles, horse & rail
o The role of guides:
 Transfer-assist service
 Meet and greet upon arrival
 Departure assist upon leaving
 Working knowledge:
1) dpt / arr procedures
2) customs & immigration procedures
3) layout of transport terminals (toilets,
phones, pick-up zones, car hire, ATM,
money changer etc)
o Characteristics of coach travel:
The route – predetermined to maximize
the opportunities to visit relevant &
interesting attractions
Same group of people for the whole tour
Accompanied by tour manager / leader
Extended tours – accommodation &
food as part of coach tour package
Retail Travel agencies
• Providing link – audience & tour
• Tour booking / travel arrangement /
liaising with inbound tour operators
Attractions
 Purpose built attractions – adventure parks,
entertainment, theme etc
 Natural features- bird migrations,
marine parks etc
 Cultural / social activities – festivals & events
such as World Music Festivals
Hospitality Industry
 Accommodation – hotels, chalets, inns, motels,
hostels, cruise ships, self-contained apartments,
camp grounds, yachts, bed and breakfast
 Guides must familiar:
 Style & standard of accommodation
 Location
 Security
 Facilities
 What’s included as part of the stay
 Interesting information of establishment
 Cafés, restaurants & other food
outlets
Inclusive elements of package tour
Introduce local foods to the foreigners
How food will be served – buffet / set
menu
• Entertainment
nightclubs , disco, theme park, casino etc

• MICE
optional extra / essential session of the
conference – field trip
MICE – Meeting, Incentive, Convention &
Exhibition
 1.4 TYPES OF TOURS
Site Based Tours
Museums and galleries

Zoos and wildlife parks

Indigenous sites
Botanic gardens
Factories, mines & other work sites
Waste-transfer stations,
dams, power stations &
sewerage plants
Historic houses & significant
buildings
 Special Interest Tours
Sporting tours

Photography tours
 Wildlife trips
• Bird watching (ornithology trips & penguin tours) & marine
mammals watching (whale watching)
Wine tours
 Regional tours of rural areas
In Spain…. In Malaysia….

MALAGA

Rural holidays homes with charm and

character. Rural-tour offers a wide selection of
hand picked cottages and farmhouses . All
properties retain all of the old style of in the inland
rural areas of Spain. Our portfolio also includes
vacation villas with swimming pool, small hotels or
charming guesthouses and village inns with
individual character.
HUELVA
Scientific & educational based tours

• Scientific Volcano Tour

This tour is targeted at those meeting participants who
want to understand a bit about the geology and history
of the Hawaiian volcanos and how they relate to
volcanism in the solar system. In order to keep costs
down, tour participants will take turns driving rental
cars (which we will provide), and accommodations will
be modest, but comfortable. Expect lots of hiking and
a variety of scenery and climates. Although the
Kileaua volcano has been continuously active for
many years, we cannot predict the level of activity at
the time of the tour, nor the likelihood of seeing
surface flows, however, we will make an excursion to
the site where the lava is entering the ocean.
VOLCANOS IN HAWAII
 Garden Tours
CHELSEA GARDEN TOURS 2007
 Vehicle Based Tours
Australia
4WD Tours

Coach Tours
Aircraft tours

Dustin Boyd's Seaplane Tours (Holland)

Scenic air tours from Derby (Australia)

-combination of boat ride
-tours take 4-5 hours
 Helicopters Tour

• S12 - Helicopter Joyride & City Tour

• Location:Kuala Lumpur
• Validity:01/01/08 - 31/03/08
• Duration:One hourRate:Price Per HelicopterRate (RM)
• 1. Ecureuil - 5 Passenger VIP Helicopter3,500.00
• 2. Colibri - 4 Passenger VIP Helicopter3,300.00
• Enjoy spectacular views of Kuala Lumpur and its city landscapes on a
helicopter city tour.
• The helicopter pilots are experienced and knowledgeable about the local
landscape and will provide informative commentary during the helicopter
tour.
• Bring your camera and get ready for the helicopter tour of your life!
• Both the Ecureuil and Colibri are VIP single-engine helicopters with air
conditioning and carpeting.
• Notes:
• Bookings should be made 1 week in advance
• To add extra 20-30mins to the tour, add RM 1,000 to listed price
 Car rallies
Many rally events above are part of larger
championship series events such as:

 World Rally Championship

 Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC)
 Production World Rally Championship
(PWRC)
 Canadian Rally Championship
 Rally America National Championship [15]
 [16]
 Australian Rally Championship (ARC)
 Water Based Tours
Snorkeling and scuba diving
Canoeing & kayaking
Cruise boating & yachting
Marine mammal watching, bird watching &
fishing tours
 Tours can also include:
Suburban & city sight walking tours
City family tours
  Cycling & mountain-bike tours
 Camel & horse riding tours
Tour Itinerary
You will find this program hard to beat for
excitement and fun! If you ever wanted to ride a
camel you can take advantage of this program to
do it in style in this picturesque setting in the
desert! You will experience what was a common
mode of transportation in ancient times and still
popular today in some parts of Egypt.
Following breakfast at the hotel your guide for the
day will pick you up and transfer you to the horse
stables in Giza to select your camel or horse and
start your 4-hour ride from Giza to Sakkara. When
you arrive in Sakkara our driver will pick you up
and transfer you back to your hotel.
 Hiking & bushwalking trips
In Malaysia……
Experience Borneo by climbing
Mount Kinabalu, encounter Orang
Utans and visit hot springs

“Hiking is a form of walking,

undertaken with the specific
purpose of exploring and enjoying
the scenery. It usually takes place
on trails in rural or wilderness
areas.”
END OF CHAPTER