PRINCIPLES AND ETHICS

OF
TOUR GUIDING
THE TRAVELER
CHAPTER III
Classification of Travelers
Travelers can be categorized in several ways. To illustrate the behavior of travelers and their impact on a region,
anthropologist Valene Smith classified into 7 categories.

Explorers are participant-observers who travel alone or in very small groups

➢ do not require special tourist accommodations or attractions and therefore offer little or no threat to
the local residents
Elite Travelers
➢ can afford to spend much to have unusual travel experiences

➢ like the explorers, they are few in number and therefore pose little or no threat to the local population

➢ Unlike explorers, they demand some degree of comfort in amenities

Off-beat Tourists
➢ they travel alone or in very small number

➢ avoid crowds, other tourists, and typical sightseeing

➢ adapt well to the local lifestyles and amenities and pose few problems to local residents.

Unusual Tourists
➢ they demand more amenities and also look for unusual, adventurous or primitive experiences

Incipient Mass Tourists

➢ they represent business and vacation travelers

➢ usually travel individually or in small groups and demand Western-style amenities

Mass Tourists
➢ they are large groups of middle-class travelers who visit popular sites and also demand Western-style
amenities
Charter Tourists
➢ they arrive in large groups, generating a large volume of business but often demanding impersonal
and standardized services

➢ Impact on the local region is great

➢ In order to accommodate these large numbers, tour operators must offer name tags and little one-on-
one interaction with visitors and locals

➢ As the number of tourists increases, different expectations come up, more facilities are required to
handle them and more stressful contacts between hosts and guests take place.

➢ Mass and Charter tourists are so concerned with having Western-style amenities and they place an
undue strain on local economies, environment, and cultures to provide these services. This contributes
to the eradication of the region’s unique lifestyle.

➢ Since tour guides depend upon and interact with mass and charter tourists, it is important that they
understand the impact of mass tourism on both travelers and local people.
The Group Traveler
➢ Millions of people prefer group travel to traveling alone (comfort, safety, education, economy, and
companionship)
➢ Group travel offers the easiest and often the only way to gain access to some places

➢ Include families, extended family reunions, corporate travelers, association executives, association
members, clubs and affinity groups, school groups, university and alumni groups, people with disabilities,
foreign and domestic travelers joining groups, business and incentive groups
Most Popular Kinds of Groups
Student Groups
➢ Are popular in some regions especially in historic places or in places that lend themselves in some
way to the curriculum of the school

➢ Zoos, fine museums, historic homes, and other educational attractions

➢ Ages 11 to 17

➢ Senior class trips, safety patrol trips, trips related to specific curricula topics

➢ Several challenges are encountered in working with students.

➢ It is important for teachers and guides to establish clear ground rules and require discipline among the
students (accompanying teachers are to set the organizational and disciplinary tone for the tour since
as chaperones, their primary duty is the safety of the students.

➢ Teachers are more familiar with the curriculum, the school’s regulations and the learning levels of
the students. (factors which establish the tone of the student tour)

➢ Guides are expected to conduct the tour at the level of understanding of students rather than that of
the adults

Business Travelers
➢ Include those who are visiting a region to conduct business such as sales, research, meetings, and
conferences

➢ Sightseeing is secondary to the trip

➢ Are usually interested in an overview rather than on in-depth tour (most are regular travelers and may have
already visited a region, may be pressed for time, or are only loking for assistance)

➢ For conventions, tours are usually brief and structured, and are generally prearranged by meeting planners

Incentive Travelers
➢ Are business people who were given trips by companies as a reward for their accomplishments or to
motivate them to achieve more than what is required

➢ They visit an area principally for pleasure

➢ Field of incentive travel is highly competitive and specialized

➢ Incentive tours are contracted through incentive houses which have high standards of service

Family Travelers
➢ Family travel is increasing
 ➢ Catering to families is becoming a trend within the industry

➢ Organizing tours for families is an interesting challenge because interpretations must appeal to 2 or
sometimes 3 generations

➢ In conducting tours with parents and infants/toddlers, interpretations should be directed towards the adults

➢ As children become older, the guides directs commentary to them, interacts with them, ask them questions,
encourages them to talk about what they know and what they want to know about the area

➢ Although it may seem awkward to speak on the level of a ten-year-old, parents are comfortable with this
arrangement since they are accustomed to vie places through the eyes of their children

➢ Many guides talk principally to the children, and add comments and clarifications to adults

Senior Citizens
➢ The characteristics of older people reflect those of human nature as a whole (favorable/unfavorable)

➢ Demanding, slow, patient, impatient, repetitive, punctual

➢ Many guides find senior citizens to be the group of choice

➢ Younger senior citizens participate in some of the most active adventure-oriented tours, while older senior
citizens often prefer more passive, leisurely travels

Clubs or Affinity Groups

➢ Usually have a common interest

➢ Are generally enjoyable especially when the values or interests of the group coincide with that of the guide

➢ Are usually pre-acquainted and compatible

Public Tour Groups

➢ The only element participants in a public tour have in common is when they decide to visit the same place
at the same time

➢ Individuals are usually not acquainted with each other, so the 1 st and most obvious challenge for guide is
to interpret to a diverse group and attempt to unite a group = exciting challenge for the tour guide (interpret
points of interest in which all members of the group can relate which if done effectively could serve as a
means of uniting the group

The Challenges of Group Travel

➢ A group is a collection of unique individual

➢ One of the challenges of group travel is to offer a more personalized level of service to group travelers

➢ The changes occurring in society and the changing character of the traveling public offer new challenges
to guides

1. Because travelers come from different countries, they will be more diverse in their taste, behavior and values,
Guides must therefore develop a deeper understanding of various countries and cultures

2. Because travelers are exposed to other cultures through television, movies, videos, and travel, Guides must be able
to provide a broader, more cosmopolitan perspective
3. Because travelers now have traveled more than previous generations, they may be more discriminating and
demanding about the level of service and care they receive

4. Because of increased demands on time, travelers may wish to see more in less time. However, there are other
travelers who prefer in-depth, slower-paced excursions such as archaeological tours or wildlife photography tours

5. Because those who have already traveled to popular regions will be more interested in unusual places, guides in
rural areas will be given more opportunities

6. Because the future will demand that guides specialize in a wide variety of areas such as nature, architect, foreign
and sign languages

International Travelers
➢ International travelers are more prevalent in every country nowadays, since travel is now attainable for a
great number of people throughout the world

➢ Characteristics are more dynamic, informative, and rewarding experience for both visitors and guides

➢ Rise of international travel and communications has produced a great amount of literature, theory and
advice about how to better understand and work with international travelers

➢ Interpreting the different customs, body language and personalities of people throughout the world can be
very confusing. Most often, an innocent comment or gesture can alarm or offend visitors

➢ Those who work with international visitors should know the customs and behavior of their guests in such
areas as greeting, punctuality, gift-giving, dress, gestures, and general protocol.

➢ In addition, they should observe and understand people throughout the world at their most fundamental
level of values (Values represent the core of the person)

➢ The most fundamental aspect of relating to people from other countries is to understand and appreciate
their values, and the best way of doing this is to explore other’s values as they contrast with one’s own

➢ Robert Kohls in his essay, “The Values Americans Live By” gave an insightful and instructive exploration
of the thirteen most basic values Americans observe

Control over the environment

➢ Free will and the ability to overcome obstacles are important concepts to Americans

➢ By contrast, Americans often look upon people who feel life is entirely controlled by fate as backward and
naive

Change
➢ To Americans, change is not only inevitable and vital, but it is synonymous with progress, growth,
development, and improvement.
Time and its control
➢ Planning and managing time are more than measures of success.

➢ “kept,” “filled,” “saved,” “issued,” “spent,” “gained,” “planned,””made the most of”

Equality / Egalitarianism
➢ God views all human beings alike without regard to intelligence, physical condition, or economic status.

➢ All people have an equal opportunity to succeed in life

Individualism and Privacy
➢ Every individual is unique

➢ Americans regard privacy as their birthright

Self-reliance
➢ Americans feel responsible and take credit only for that which they accomplish themselves

Competition and free enterprise

➢ Americans believe that competitiveness is an innate human drive that brings out the best in people

Future orientation
➢ Americans have long believed in, invested in, and planned for the future to such an extent that many would
argue that they devalue both the past and the present

➢ In some cultures like the Moslem/Muslim, talking about or actively planning for the future is considered
futile and even sinful

Action / Work Orientation

➢ Americans plan and schedule extremely busy lives

➢ Americans value their work --- workaholics --- they consider sinful to waste time or live idle lives

Informality
➢ Addressing each other, even those in authority by 1 st names

➢ Greeting people informally such as touching one’s arm and saying “hi!”

➢ Dressing casually for restaurants, theaters, churches

Directness, openness, and honesty

➢ Americans value a direct approach in communication as can be seen in the popularity of assertiveness
training and other self-empowerment programs
Practicality and efficiency
➢ “Will it make money?”
➢ “Will it pay for itself?”

Materialism / Acquisitiveness
➢ Although Americans do not see themselves as materialistic, other cultures feel differently.

➢ By any standard, Americans have abundant possessions.

➢ In addition, Americans consume more than people of any other culture and generally retain their possession
for shorter period of time than do people in other cultures

➢ The goal of this exploration of human values is to better understand people

➢ Moreover, the values described here are not to be interpreted as a norm against which other behaviors are
to be considered strange or abnormal

➢ Instead, by knowing the differences, one can enhance his relationship with others

The Socially Responsible Traveler

➢ Louis D’ Amore, organizer of the First Global Conference on Tourism: A Vital Force for Peace (1990)

➢ “For the 1st time in history we embark on a segment of the human journey with a global perspective – an
awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and life on earth. We recognize for the first time that
 there are no foreign countries or foreign people. Rather, we are all neighbors living independently as
members of the global family

➢ The roles of traveler and host are so interrelated that they sometimes seem inseparable.
“Whenever I meet a group of people and begin to travel with them, I feel that, I, too, am a traveler. I am
sure that I learn as much from visitors as they learn from me.” (from a Guide)

➢ Travel industry professionals and guides can serve as a link between the local population and travelers,
informing travelers of local environmental and cultural concerns and encouraging them to conduct
themselves in more socially responsible ways, in line with local needs and customs. In this way, visitors
develop a deeper understanding and a strong commitment to conscious, humane behavior.

➢ “Credo of the Peacful Travelers”, International Tourism Conference in Vancouver , 1988

➢ Grateful for the opportunity to travel and to experience the world, and because peace begins with the
individual, I affirm my personal responsibility and commitment to:

1. Journey with an open mind and gentle heart

2. Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter
3. Revive and protect the natural environment which sustains all life

4. Appreciate all cultures I discover

5. Respect and thank my hosts for their welcome
6. Offer my hand in friendship to everyone I meet
7. Support travel services that share these views and act upon them
8. By my spirit, words and actions, encourage others to travel the world in peace