England is considered as the first country to actually regulate and train tour guides, adding a prestige to this profession that has yet to fade. Today, being a tour guide is the dream career opportunity for many. In the United States, places like Yellowstone National Park and Gettysburg National Military Park were some of the first places to utilize tour guides on a regular basis. In Europe, pleasure travel is reported to have started in earnest during the 1840s, when Thomas Cook began conducting tours to Paris and later around Europe. In recent years; touring has become a fashionable leisure pastime. In places such as southern Europe, being a tour guide is considered a prestigious job. Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and Cyprus have national laws concerning the tour guide profession. Only officially certified tour guides educated along national guidelines are allowed to commercially guide tourists. Violations of this principle are brought before national courts and are penalized with fines.
Tour guides get the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. They serve as cultural ambassadors to their customers and to local residents, and often act as unofficial spokespersons for the specific area in which they work. In addition, tour guides act as educators and all-around experts on the history, geography, and culture of the areas they visit. There are thousands of people thoroughly enjoying and happily taking it as profession.
Tour guide jobs are normally considered adventures—truly outstanding experiences—and because most of the tour companies allow their employees to accept tips, the earning potential can be really good. Tour guides lead groups as part of a holiday package. Contrary to what people normally imagine, the career as a tourist guide is not all travel and glamour. Being a tour guide means leading a group of people from site to site, caring for their every need, answering their questions, and dealing with all kind of emergencies. A tour guide working for a tour company actually travels as a member of the group. According to most tour guides, one really has to get along well with the passengers and have an abundance of patience because they need to spend most of their time with them.
Tour guides act as interpreters for the group and as representatives of the agency. They could find themselves working in any number of places around the world. Tours are typically offered in most parts of the world, depending upon the season. Therefore, there are both year-round and seasonal guide job opportunities. Tour guides working for large or multinational companies always have the privilege of working in different parts of the world on a year-round basis. For example, in a large tour company, one can lead tours through New England in the fall and finish the year on the tropical islands of Hawaii. The possibilities are abundant. It is noted that, for those hoping to work outside the continental United States, the best opportunities exist in Alaska, Hawaii, or Canada. There are numerous American companies that have tour guides who go all over the world. It is common practice that a foreign company that operates tours in its own country most often hires residents of that country.
The tour business is constantly changing and expanding to fit the newest travel trends; most tours, however, do fit into one of the following major categories: sightseeing/bus, shore excursion tours and adventure/sporting tours, etc. Future job opportunities as tour guide are considered strong, especially for tour guides who specialize in ecology and architectural tours, or those who may have skills in foreign and sign languages. Still, the people who can do best in this profession will be those who excel at accommodating the needs of group travelers through diplomacy, communication skills, finesse, and humor.
Tour guides normally hold certain qualifications, usually issued and/or recognized by the appropriate authority. Based on the survey reports, tour guides normally earn in between $ 50–$150 per day in wages. In addition to this, most tour guides receive passenger tips, which increase their earnings substantially. Successful tour guides are expected to earn approximately $30,000–$60,000 per year. Though their salaries seem low compared to the twelve to fourteen working hours a day, lodging and meals are mostly provided free of charge, and also their entire season is without any large personal expenses. Hence a tour guide’s out-of-pocket expenses are minimal.
Like most of the travel-related jobs, competition for these positions is also high. Today’s modern travelers are becoming more discriminating about the level of service and care they receive. Most of the travelers seek personal attention that will enhance their traveling experiences. This has created a very amenable climate for professional tour guides who are experts at leading groups to destinations both near and far. Travel trends also indicate more travelers than ever are opting for in-depth pleasure trips that require the use of tour guides, at least for part of the trip.
