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Tour guides: promotes cross-cultural exchange
By: Elisha Mayallah
 I must apologize to my fellow
readers for my unusual disappearance from this famous column, which I am always
happy to contribute. There were some impediments for my silence. And surely, I
now hope we shall continue to discuss further on the tourism matters.
Today, I would like us to discuss about the importance of the tour guides or
driver guides. Their efforts play a big role in influencing the entire tourism
business.
For foreign visitors, tourism provides an educational glimpse of a world not
their own, often a world of striking natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.
A more subtle benefit is the opportunity to engage in an international dialogue
with people from different backgrounds. This cross-cultural exchange can form a
healthy bridge between industrialized and developing countries.
Practically speaking, tourism includes activities in which visitors enjoy
hands-on experiences Tour guides is more than ever the secondary focus for
tourism promotion in a globally competitive tourism industry. The marketing idea
in this situation is the key approach. In addition, the concept of a good
service is important to a destination's continued growth and operation
Tourism as we have always noted, is a reflection of an experience combined with
a heritage of the destination, where tourists will want to visit. This means,
tour guides customer service reflects the corporate image of a tourist
destination, which we are positioning in the market.
As we know, international tourists visit our tourism attractions with mixed
background information about our people, politics, and economy, among others. In
some situation the information is not correct, which needs the tour guide's
efforts to give the correct information.
In other words, the tour guide is expected to be informed on many issues
happening in the region and country as well. Basically, we need a guide who is
assertive and likes to learn on different opportunities when they present
themselves. Just for example, one would be expected to be able to surf the
Internet and use e-mail applications to be informed on diverse issues. These are
no longer skills which were considered to be for the office workers, they are
now basic needs which are necessary in the globalization era.
Interestingly, a tour guide is also expected to be well-informed on political
matters. Matters of economy, diseases, the Governments efforts in creating
enabling environments for investors, the investment climate in the country and
many more, the list is endless! – needs to be the tour guides concern.
Tour guides usually go with a group of tourists on expeditions, telling them
about the local flora, fauna, and culture of the region. Tourists typically stay
with local families, or at small, environmentally friendly hotels. These
opportunities for personal contact with members of the host community promote
cross-cultural exchange and add greatly to the value of eco-tourism experiences
for some people
In practice, it is nearly always the case that tour guides have to take most
decision for disseminating information to their clients. It is important to
point out here that most of the information told by tour guides is considered to
reflect the real situation.
Guides need to have the social skills, familiarity with English (or other
languages), basic knowledge about the region, and capacity for authority to lead
well-organized tours. More than one tourism operation has foundered because of
lack of human resources in the host community.
At the same time, tourists must be prepared for what they will meet, and must
have the proper attitude and maturity to appreciate their experiences. Most
travellers are well-educated, respectful of local traditions, and eager to
contribute to conservation efforts, though some arrive with ill-conceived
expectations that result in less-than-ideal experiences both for the tourists
and for the host community.
In short, systematic thinking and collection of proper information are the far
better skills excessively needed for tour guides, as it is also necessary in
other fields.
E-mail contacts:
ermayallah@yahoo.com
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