I'm often asked what tour guide skills make the 'perfect guide'. For me, it's a combination of technical expertise and invisible skills that come with both practice and preparation. Most of which are completely invisible to guests but create a smooth and engaging experience. This article will outlay some of the tour
So much thought goes into tour branding; the colors, the tone, the brand mission, the images, the story…however with most tours, all of that unique branding disappears once guests arrive on the actual tour and are alone with their guide. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version.
I have been lucky enough over the past few years to spend a lot of time talking with Michael Idriss (now the African American Interpretive Fellow at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia) about the impact of tours. It's a huge responsibility that not many tour operators or tour guides take on,
Recent studies show that travelers increasingly are interesting in booking with companies whose values align with their own. There's also been evidence of an increase in wanting to go deeper than your average bus tour (even if they’re also booking that bus tour). Prefer to listen & watch? This article has
Giving options is a dangerous road to walk as a guide. I’ve seen the most well-intentioned guides completely lose control of their tour, for example, guests getting it into their heads that they can request whatever catches their eye on a food tour. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has
A lot of guides are resistant to doing 'housekeeping' on a tour (the boring start-of-tour business like when the tour will end, safety information, etc) but it might be the reason your guests are having trouble paying attention. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video please
Guest Post by Josh Liebman, host of the Guest Experience Show on giving both confidence and competence to your employees. Oftentimes, leaders set a high standard for their staff that they will be experts regarding everything related to the business beginning on day one. While ongoing training combined with high retention will
We often assume that defining moments are accidental luck, something so special that it couldn’t have been planned. But what if I told you that special moments COULD be prepared ahead of time, and even reused again and again? Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video
Guest Post by Prachi Thakur on being inclusive. Inclusion is the new buzzword, and everyone wants to get on board by making their trips inclusive. As our industry stands on the selling point of diversity, it is essential that you incorporate a few minor changes to become more inclusive and be closer
The biggest mistake I see is taking in-person tours and converting them to virtual. Prefer to listen & watch? This article has a video version. Video please Virtual tours are, by nature, different. From how they're consumed, to how guests can interact, to the price point you can