OVERVIEW OF TOURISM INDUSTRY

THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

 Composite of industries and entities, both public and private
 Involved in the planning, development, marketing, sales & promotion, evaluation
of destinations, products and services
 Caters to the needs of travelers, both foreign and domestic

GOVERNMENT SECTOR
 Department of Tourism
 Phil. Convention & Visitors Corp. (PCVC) – marketing arm
 Phil. Tourism Authority (PTA)– implementing arm
 Local Government Units (LGUs)
 Other National Gov’t. Units (NGUs)

PRIVATE SECTOR
 Transportation companies – land, sea, air & rail (others; like calesa)
 Hostelry industry – accommodation establishments
 Entertainment industry
 Travel trade – tour operator, tour guides
 Other private sector entities

THE TOURIST
 People who leave their homes to temporarily visit a place
 They should be spending and not earning money from the place they visit
 Reasons can be pleasure, meetings or seminars
 With the intention of learning something about the place like its history, people,
culture

BASIC FACTORS FOR A SUCCESSFUL TOURIST DESTINATION

 Attractions which can be site itself or an event
 Amenities or facilities like accommodation, food, local, transportation,
communication and entertainment at the site
 Accessibility
 Peace and order

CHARACTERISTICS OF TOURISM
 Product is not brought to the consumer;
 The tourism product is not used up, it doesn’t exhaust the country’s natural
resources;
 People-oriented;
 Labor-intensive;
 Multi-dimensional;
 Seasonal;
 Dynamic;
 Characterized by the changing ideas of its customers.
CHAPTER 1. THE TOUR GUIDE

WHAT IS TOUR GUIDE?

 A tour guide is one who conducts a tour or one with broad knowledge of a
particular area whose primary duty is to inform.

According to the Tour Guide Code of 1987 promulgated by DOT.

An individual, who, either as an employee or affiliate of a duly licensed travel & tour
agency, GUIDE tourist, both foreign and domestic, for a fee, commission or any lawful
form of remuneration.

SYNONYMS for tour guide used within the industry include tourist guide (commonly used
in Europe and many other parts in the world), local guide, and the city guide.

A.) HISTORY OF TOUR GUIDE

Guiding is one of the oldest professions of the world.

Ancient Empire
 From 3000 BC to 500 AD generates travel
 The ancient Persians, Assyrians and Egyptians in organized manner, although
travel during this period was slow and dangerous, many travelers continued to
travel by land and sea

GREEK EMPIRE
 Tourism flourished
 Festivals and shows
 Olympic Games which begun in 776 BC
 In Greek language, guides were called “PERIEGETAI” or leaders around or
“EXEGETAI” or explainer. Another term was “PROXEMOS” whose function was to
help fellow citizen in travelling abroad.
 Herodotus - first travel writer

ANCIENT ROME
 In Ancient Rome, travelers increased in number. Sight-seeing proliferated.
 Ilium, the country of Homer, had a thriving tourist business which featured many
guides who pointed every significant place of feature mentioned in Iliad. They
showed the seashore where the Greek ships had been pulled up; the plain where
the battles took place, and the site of the Trojan War which they regarded as the
“piece de resistance”
MIDDLE AGES
 The period between the fall of Rome and Renaissance; between 500 A.D. and
1508 A.D.; Dark Ages
 Decline of trade and economy in general and decrease in the desire to travel
 Religious pilgrimage to such places as Canterbury, Winchester and Walsingham.
 Encounters with robbers along the way were very much afraid to travel alone.

References to guides during this period emphasized their roles as pathfinders, protectors,
safety escorts and even bridges to ensure safe passage

According to Casson, a historian, a guide was paid large fee because he not only led
the way but also generated safe conduct to the travelers

RENNAISANCE AND THE GRAND TOUR

Grand Tour – young men from the upper class traveled from Britain
 Prescribed route from England to France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland to
Italy as the final destination.
 Since these journey were taken for educational and cultural reasons, the
individuals or group were usually assigned to a personal tutor, who was called a
‘bear leader’, ‘antiquarii’, or ‘cicerone’
 Ventturino, a driver of the Italian four-wheel carriages called Vettura; hired by the
travelers of 17th to 19th centuries.

MODERN AGE
 During 17th and 18th centuries, travelers to and within the New World were
explorer rather than pleasure travelers
 Few New World travelers or guides were known to have existed during the period

B.) PARTS OF GUIDED TOUR

1. Package Tour
 A vacation plan arranged by tour operators or wholesalers which provides for
a set free, all or most required services.

a) Independent Tours - arranged by travel agents or tour operators and are tailored
to meet the specific needs and desires of individuals. These tours are: unscheduled
allowing travelers to plan activities and choose restaurants as they travel.
 Foreign Independent Tours (FITs)
 Domestic Independent Tours ( DITs)
b) Hosted Tours - un-schedules, features a host stationed in a designated location
and available for assistance.
  Independent and hosted travelers may wish to avoid guides, but many will
take part in fixed departure guided tours or arrange for private tours once
they arrive in the city.

c) Escorted Tours - more structured and feature a tour manager throughout.

 Often incorporate local guides (step-on guides) at major cities or sites.

2. CUSTOMS Tours - designed to fit the specific needs of a particular market or affinity
group. (Themed Tour)

3. CONVENTION Tours - excursions provided for persons attending meetings and

conventions.
- Most cities which host conventions have ground operators or tour operators
who plan these tours.

4. INCENTIVE Tours - usually loosely structured and offer an array of choices for the
participants.

5. FIXED DEPARTURE Tours - regularly scheduled public tours.

6. FAMILIARIZATION Tours - usually complimentary or reduced-rate travel programs

designed to acquaint travel agents, tour operators and other industry personnel w
specific destination.

C.) CLASSIFICATION OF TRAVELERS

1. Explorers- Participant - observers who travel alone or in very small groups.

 Do not require special tourist accommodation or attractions and therefore
offer little or no threat to local residents.
2. Elite Travelers - can afford to spend much to have unusual travel experiences. Few
in member.
 Demand some degree of comfort in amenities.
3. Off-beat Tourist - Travel alone or in small number.- avoid crowds, other tourist,
typical sight-seeing, adapt well to local lifestyles and amenities and pose few
problems to local residents.
4. Unusual Tourists - Demand more amenities and look for unusual, adventure or
primitive experiences.
5. Incipient Mass Tourist - Represent business and vacation travelers.- travel
individually or small group.- demand Western-style amenities.
6. Mass Tourist - They are large groups of middle-class travelers who visit popular sites
and also demand Western- style amenities.
7. Charter Tourist - They arrive in large groups, generating a large volume of business
but often demanding impersonal and standardized services.
Tour operator - must offer name tags and little one-to-one interaction with visitors and
locals.

D. TYPES OF TOUR

1. Daily-run tour – is a conducted regularly.

 Specially arranged tour- is a tour specially arranged based on the specific
needs of the tourist, normally not conducted regularly.

2. Seat-in Coach - is a tour participated by different tour members with varied pick-up
points but going to the same destination. They do not know each other until they join
this tour group.

3. Walking tour - is a type of tour where tour members have to do a lot of walking in
order to see the different aspects of the tour (walking tour of Intramuros)
4. Museum Tour - is normally a visit to the different museums as the main part of the tour.
It could be a whole or half day of museums visits.

5. Plant Tour/ Company Visit - conducted normally with students visiting an actual plant
or company which is related to the course of study.
 Lectures are given by in-house speakers and actual tour of the different areas
of the company is included.
 This tour is done to compliment the actual observation phase of their
theoretical background learned in school.
 It is an exposure to the real world of the industry they chose to practice after
graduation.

6. Eco-Tour – is a tour to the different ecology sites with emphasis on the preservation of
the environment (normally includes, walking, hiking and interaction with the natives).

7. Pilgrimage tour - is a visit to the religious and worship places like churches and mission
houses.

8. Other specialized tour - is a tour conducted for a specific type of tourists like going to
a faith healer, shooting a film, agri-tourism, or any other tour of special interest.
CHAPTER 2. TOUR GUIDING AS A PROFESSION

As a profession…
 Must be Filipino citizen;
 At least 2nd year college;
 Pass the qualifying interview by DOT;
 Must undergo and pass a DOT-sponsored seminar;
 LGU – licensed;
 DOT – accredited.

TYPES OF TOUR GUIDE

1. On-site guide - conducts tours of one or several hours at a specific place, site or
building. Another example of on-site guide is a museum curator (usually well
informed)
2. Docents - are volunteer guides normally in the small museum and often work for
free.
3. City Guide - points and comments on the highlights of a city, usually from a motor
coach, minibus, or van but does sometimes as part of a walking tour.
4. Driver Guide - is a city guide who does double duty by driving the vehicle while
narrating.
5. Personal or Private Guide - whose services may be available at a reasonable
price, take a small number of individuals on their own exclusive tour.
6. Specialized Guide - is someone whose expertise or skills are highly unique. For ex.
Adventure guides lead unusual, physically demanding tour experiences (diving,
rafting, safari, trekking or spelunking)
7. Step-on Guide or freelance “specialists” - who come abroad motor coaches to
give an informed overview of the city to be toured.
8. Local Guide - is a person competent enough to give information on a certain area
or locality.
9. Specialist Guide - is a person who specializes in a certain field such as botany,
architecture, zoology, etc.
10. Linguist Guide - is a person fluent in two or more foreign languages.
11. Escort – person who accompanies a group of tourists from the point of origin to
the destination, and back to the origin. Usually handles group’s check in and
check out.
12. Indigenous Guide - is a guide with a native or aboriginal background with a deep
understanding of their culture.
13. Nature-based or Eco-tour Guide - is a guide who is a specialist in environmental
knowledge.

CLASSIFICATION OF TOUR GUIDE

1. Free Lance – not permanently connected with any travel agency and paid per
trip.
 2. Staff Guide – permanently connected with a travel agency, receives monthly
salary.

Nature of Tour Reception & Guiding

 First impression of tourists play a very important role.
 Receiving tourists is just like receiving guests in your home
 Show the best without boasting or overdoing.
 Guiding is not simply telling them “to your left, to your left”, there’s a lot more
into it.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Tour Guide

 Provide them information and explanations about the place honestly without
prejudice;
 Ensure a factual presentation, make sure to distinguish the truth stories, legends,
traditions;
 Act fairly and reasonably in all dealings with colleagues and co-workers;
 Always act with tact and diplomacy in dealing with the guests.
 Always report for duty healthy and positive
 Never take advantage of the ignorance of the tourists,
 Never allow yourself to be used by unscrupulous organizations who want to take
advantage of the tourists,
 Use common sense and be honest by saying “ I don’t know,…I will check,..”
 Ensure guest’s safety, warn them on:
o Plants that might cause some allergies.
o Food and drinks that might not suit their digestive system.
o Elevation for those with vertigo and fear of height.
o Dogs that might bite.
o Presence of pickpockets in crowded areas.
 Protect the reputation of tourism by making every assignment a treat, with respect
to the environment, wildlife, sights & monuments, local customs & traditions.
 Act responsibly as representative of the country and the people.