A guided tour presentation

When the control text of the tour and the manual is completed together with a guide‘s portfolio and a route map, the date of acceptance (delivery) of the new tour is assigned. All those involved in the process of tour design are present at the tour acceptance. Acceptance (delivery) of the tour is in the form of discussion, exchange of opinions, identification of shortcomings.

A guided tour approval

With a positive assessment of the control text and the manual, a decree is issued to approve a new guided tour theme and a list of guides licensed to conduct it. Only those tour guides who took part in the tour design and its presentation on the route are allowed to carry it out.

Questions

1. What does a guided tour‘s approval imply?

2. What type of tour are all guides supposed to give after the tour approval?

Documentation necessary for the tour theme

To develop each stage, certain requirements are made. The work is completed when all necessary documents are prepared. Below are the documents that are needed when developing each tour theme.

1. References on the topic. Lists all books, brochures, articles that were used in preparing this guided tour.

2. Cards (passports) of attractions included in the route. Information characterizing the attraction. The type of the attraction, its name, the event with which it is associated, location, short description, designers and the time of the attraction foundation, sources.

3. The main guided tour script. The material selected and verified by sources, revealing the topic. The content of the text reveals sub-topics and basic questions, serves as the basis for individual texts.

4. An individual guided tour's script. The material presented by a specific guide in accordance with the tour guide's manual, depicting the structure of the tour, its route, based on the main guided tour script, characteristics of attractions and events. It contains the introduction, the main part, the conclusion, the logical bridges.

5. The map of the route. A separate sheet shows the path of the group. The beginning and the end of the route, attractions, places for their observation, stops are indicated.

6. ―Guide‘s  Portfolio.‖  Folder  with  photos,  diagrams,  maps,  drawings, reproductions, copies of documents, product samples of enterprises, other visual aids.

7. The tour guide's manual. Recommendations on carrying out the tour are given. The guiding techniques of presentation and narration are defined, the sequence of the attractions demonstration is set, a list of visual aids is made up.

8. Materials of the guided tour. Materials on the topic: abstracts, references, tables, digital material, excerpts from documents, copies, quotes from literary works.

9. List of guides who are allowed to conduct an guided tour on the topic. This list is replenished as far as the admission to the excursion of new guides.

Questions

1. What should a list of references contain?

2. What does an attraction passport indicate?

3. What is the main tour script about?

4. What does the guide‘s script contain?

5. What does the tour route map show?

6. What does the guide‘s portfolio contain?

7. What is a guide‘s manual like?

Guiding techniques

The effectiveness of any guided tour in many ways depends on the technique of its conduct. A number of requirements are imposed on the technique of conducting the guided tour:

- acquaintance of the guide with the group (greetings);

- the correct arrangement of the group at the attraction (placing excursionists);

- exit of tourists from the bus and return to the bus or to another vehicle (hop on, hop off);

- use of the microphone (mic);

- observance of the time allotted for the guided tour as a whole and the disclosure of individual subtopics (time management);

- answers to tourists‘ questions.

Greetings

On getting on the coach the guide gets acquainted with the group. He/she greets the tour participants, introduces himself/herself, names the company that he/she represents, introduces the bus driver the tourists i.e. begins the tour with an introduction. It is important that from the very beginning the guide sets up  the

established rules of communication with the group. He does not immediately begin to

speak. There is a pause, which lasts from ten to twenty seconds. There is a first acquaintance, the further contacts of the guide with the group in many respects depend on him. The excursionists should know the subject of the guided tour.

Each topic has its own introduction. If the composition of the group is different (for example, the local population and visiting tourists, adults and children), the same tour will have different introductions.

Questions

1. What guiding techniques are used in guided tours?

2. What should a guide begin a tour with?

3. What does the introduction depend on?

Hop off

For hop off stops tourists should be prepared in advance. If it‘s not done properly some tour participants may stay on the bus without leaving for on-site presentation. It is necessary to mention the number of stops during the tour to get the tour participants interested in visiting all of them.

At the stops, the guide leaves first, showing an example to the group and determining the direction of its movement towards the attraction. In case of other stops, for example, sanitary ones, or for the purchase of souvenirs, the guide gives the exact time for the coach departure. It is necessary to require the tourists to observe the rules of the tour, which affects the schedule of the coach along the route. If the time of parking in the out-of-town excursion is reduced or increased for some reason, the guide informs all the excursionists about this.

Questions

1. Why is it very important to prepare excursionists for hopping off?

2. Who is the first to get off the coach?

3. What is the guide supposed to inform the excursionists about?