TRAVEL & TOURIST GUIDE

Travel and tourism provide services of all types for both inbound and outbound travelers, and have become one of the world's fastest growing industries. International travel and tourism are the world's largest export earner and an important factor in the balance of payments of most nations. The market is increasingly diverse, covering not only traditional sunshine tourism and business trips but also many new types of travel that have developed in recent years. Tourism has become one of the world's most important sources of employment. It covers a wide range of jobs, including all branches of the travel industry, hospitality in hotels and restaurants, entertainment and recreation, as well as the tourist attractions in a particular region. Areas of work include Tour Operators, Travel Agencies, Tourist Boards and Tourist Information Centres, Transport Companies, Tour Guides, Tourist Attractions.

Characteristics of  a Great Tour Guide.

Frist, Understandable , your tour guide should speak a range of languages, including your own, as well as the local lingo. They should also speak clearly, audibly and with confidence. Depending on the type of tour, you might be asked to wear earphones or use other types of audio equipment.

Second, Punctual ,Your tour leader should be waiting for you when you arrive, rather than the other way around. Ideally, they should also ensure that other tour members arrive and depart on time, and don’t cause delays for the group as a whole.

Third ,Friendly ,A relaxed and friendly manner is key to a great tour guide. They also need to have a certain level of authority, and be able to keep tour members together and focused without coming across as intimidating, patronizing or arrogant – not a good look in a tour guide.

Fourth, Knowledgeable ,A good tour guide has an in-depth knowledge of the site, its history and importance. A great tour guide has a passion for their subject and can convey their enthusiasm to the group. Such passion can be contagious and inspiring, and make the site really come alive. Being able to convey a sense of the overall cultural background is also important, as it can greatly enhance each tour member’s overall understanding of the site as a whole.

Fifth, Engaging ,Great tour guides share their knowledge in an engaging, illuminating and entertaining way, rather than repeating a list of facts by rote.

Sixth, Interactive ,Effective tour guides also invite questions and interaction from tour members, rather than treating the tour as a one-person show or a ‘be quiet and listen’ school lesson.

Seventh, Funny ,A certain level of friendly humour is essential. Equally, a good tour guide also knows when to include a little quiet time, and when to let the site speak for itself.

Eighth, Observant The tour needs to be relevant to a broad range of people, including different age groups. A good tour leader also needs to be aware of tour members with special needs.

Ninth, Good Pacing ,Whether the speed of the narrative or the pace of a walking tour, it should be neither too fast nor too slow. Like Goldilocks, it should be just right.

And Last, Flexible ,When appropriate, a flexible approach can make the difference between a good and a great tour guide. Being flexible means being open to serendipity, taking a moment to enjoy spontaneous moments like a particularly perfect sunset.

The tourism industry tries to meet the needs of all types of tourists by providing suitable facilities and services for each category.

• v  Business tourist: travel is related to business and the world of work. MESE which stands for meetings, exhibitions and special events. These are all part of the business world. All major cities have conference centres that cater for the needs of business tourists. An example of a business tourist would be a salesman who travels to another city to attend a trade show and promote the products he sells.
• v  Education tourists: travel to attend a place of learning in another town, city, or country, in order to study for or improve a qualification. They may also be people that attend workshops to learn new skills or improve existing ones. A clinic nurse who travels to another province to attend a workshop about infectious diseases is an example of an educational tourist.
• v  Incentive tourists: are people who are rewarded in the form of a company paid holiday for their hard work, or for achieving goals set by their company. This incentive to travel motivates employees to work harder, improves work relationships, and builds team spirit. A salesman who receives a holiday package for achieving the most sales in the company is an example of an incentive tourist.
• v  Health or medical tourist: travel because they want to visit a holiday spa, needs medical special treatment that is only available away from home, undergo procedures that are cheaper in another country, or are recovering from an illness in a healthier climate. Many tourist come from oversees countries to South Africa to have plastic surgery.
• v  Adventure tourist: want an unusual and exciting experience. They want to participate in activities that may be dangerous, such as rock climbing, river rafting, skydiving, shark cave diving and bungee jumping.
• v  Cultural tourist: want to experience different cultures, such as San rock art, or cultural related festivals such as the National Art Festival in Grahams-town, or the International Jazz Festival in Cape Town. They would also want to experience the World Heritage Sites in the country.
• v  Eco-tourists: travel to experience nature such as traveling to Bonita Gardens in Bloemfontein South Africa
• v  Leisure tourist: want to rest and relax and have a break from the usual routine Examples of this type of tourism are a cruise on a cruise liner, a trip on a Blue train, attending a special music special music performance or relaxing on the beach.
• v  Religious tourist: want to see and experience places of religious importance. There are many religious destinations in the world such as the Hajj in Mecca, Jerusalem in Israel, Varanasi in India, and the Vatican in Rome. During Easter the largest Christian pilgrimage to Zion City, Moria, Limpopo, takes place. More than a million pilgrims travel to Moria to every Easter.
• v  Shopping tourist: travel to shopping malls, shopping centres, factory shops, crafts market, festivals, and touring shopping routes such as the Midlands in KwaZulu-Natal. Their main purpose is to buy items.
• v  Special interest tourist (STI): have particular interest such as bird watching, food and wine, flowers, fishing during the Sardine Run, or attending the Cape Town Book Fair.
• v  Sport and recreation tourist: participate in or watch sporting events. Popular events include the Soccer World Cup, Winblendon Tennis Championship, Comrades Marathon, and Fisher River Canoe Marathon. Surfing, mountain climbing, cricket, swimming, golf and tennis are popular sports.

Most important characteristics to develop in myself.

• v  At least speak a foreign language is English.
• v  There are those who seek knowledge and knowledge regularly.
• v  Love to travel and adapt services and tackle well in all situations.
• v  Flexibility, compromise and looks warm benevolence as the trust of travelers.
• v  Leadership is the courage with prudence and precaution.
• v  Cheerful attitude a sacrifice, honesty, integrity and patience.
• v  Completely healthy Witty and very uninspired
• v  Be creative Have a good relationship
• v  Love is a great communicator , and the various lectures .
• v  As well as data storage tourism. Customer goodwill and customer contacts a traveler.