Build Your Career as a Tourist Guide
As more people and organizations continue to work together with many countries, there will be a surge in the travel industry. Tour operators will get more tourists and have more travel itineraries, to accomplish this they will require ‘Tour Guides’ who will make a major difference to their business.
Tour Guides are in charge of the itineraries that the customers are going to; as a captain is in charge of a ship and its passengers, tour guides need to take control of its customers, they need to provide leadership by ensuring the safety and security to its customers, guiding tourists to their destinations, ensuring transportation and providing helpful information. Someone who has a keen interest for travelling and wants to learn about geographical places and its history should ideally be looking for a career in this sector.
Responsibilities for the tour guide basically include describing historical/important landmarks, arranging the transportation for tourists, accommodation, arrange entry to places such as museums, exhibitions etc. As the job requires being flexible tour guides will need to provide services that are not in the job description. It’s also essential for the tour guides to have a valid driving licence, as they need to work in various transport vehicles; each job requires a particular licence. Some tour guides work in cruise ships, private resorts, or may work in government programs such as ecotourism. Although tour guides don’t require formal education it is useful to have knowledge in various areas which will be put to use. Having knowledge of the local areas, historical or important landmarks are essential before starting as a tour guide, and there are many resources available to prospective tour guides who want to start their career. It is extremely important to have excellent interpersonal skills as the job involves meeting with people with various backgrounds, answering questions, dealing with customer problems.
Employers prefer that staff should ideally have a certification in tourism management, this requirement varies in different countries, some countries require a diploma and others require staff to undertake a special certification course before starting. As the industry is big and has many areas it is best to start with a certification course and then undertake specialized courses to fit in any organization. Certification in tourism management will cover all the basic areas equired in the travel industry such as ticketing, hotel booking, international airline travel, interacting with suppliers and many more. The course is offered in many institutes both government and private sector. Usually the institution will offer work placement and assistance to students to start working in the industry.
There are opportunities to progress from this field as tour guides can be trainers, as well as moving into marketing area, or they can start their own travel agency. Tourism will continue to boom as more countries have access to information, and starting a career in this field requires dedication.

