The Tour Guide

A Tour Guide is the cultural ambassador of a country, the “face” of a country, the “spokesperson” and “Guardian of the Tourism Experience”.

The Chilean Official Standard NCh2961.Of2006 defines the tour guide as: “An individual who has the knowledge, experience and technical competence, to provide orientation and information on the cultural heritage and the natural wealth and the attractions related to Tourism, as well as Assistance Service aimed at touristic visits.”

The Tour Guide mission is to inform and interpret the heritage, cultural and natural wealth and other tourism resources of the specific field of performance for tourists and visitors in an attractive manner, interacting with them and raising their interest, as well as commenting the availability of accompaniment and assistance, using, if necesary, a foreing language so that they will feel attended to at all times by giving true information in a ludic manner, while meeting the objectives of the entity organizing the service.

Function and Skills

General Function

Responsibility for the reception, coordination and orientation of, information and assistance to and hosting of local and international visitors in the language of their choice.

Specific Functions

Reception of local and foreign visitors.
Tourists accompaniment
Management of excursion expenses budget.
Supervision of transport units
Preparation of excursion report
Providing true, objective, clear information to the receiving public.
Orienting and informing accurately about schedules and characteristics of the activity to be developed, general points of reference about the touristic point to be visited and offering information which will facilitate permanence in these points.
Providing true and complete information about the touristic points to be visited, their natural, economic, social and cultural environment, as the case may be.
Guiding safety and efficiently in the touristic places or sites to be visited, in a civil, responsible and prudent manner.
Checking, if applicable, that the guided persons have the adequate equipment and/or clothing required by the activity.
Preventing the Guide’s and the users’ actions from endangering the cultural heritage of the place, region or country by damaging, extracting or collecting animal, vegetable, mineral or any natural, cultural or economic object.
Assisting the guided persons in a timely, efficient, and sufficient manner in any contingency or unexpected events as may arise from the development of the activities and coming up during their staying in the sites visited.
Assisting the tourist by providing first aid, should it be necessary, coordinating admission of the tourist to hospital services.
Carrying out the schedule of activities established by the Travel Agency or Tour Operator punctually.
Monitoring the visitors group concerning regulations, restrictions or precautions as may be necessary to develop the activities during the tour.
Keeping the group attentive during demonstrations or explanations of the touristic interest point.
Managing the logistic of the tour designed by the Tourism Agency or the Tour Operator, as accepted by the Tour Operator as accepted by the tourist(s), taking into account the time allocated to each attraction or activity.

Competencies

Group Leadership. The Tour Guide can handle various group situations, facilitate the communication and the actual experience of the persons guided, the same applies to the Guide’s collaborators.

Specifically, the Guide can:
- Receive persons in accordance with the Established Service Protocol.
- Give the opening information talk, tending to their wellbeing and warn, as the case may be, about the characteristics of accessibility, weather conditions, risk conditions, physical characteristics of the touristic point to be visited, and similar aspects.
- Advice the clients not to damage the cultural heritage of the locality or site, thus preventing the extraction or collection of animal, vegetal or mineral species or of any object with a cultural or economic value.
- Give instructions and recommendations about the activity to be developed, guaranteeing the completion of the program.
- Attend to requests by the people guided giving them the treatment stated in the Service Protocol.
- Develop the activity as established.
- Solve unexpected situations that may arise in the development of the activity, in accordance with the Service Protocol.
- Keep a visible, audible contact with the persons guided so as not to lose control of the group.
- Carry out the Guide’s duties without showing bias or discrimination of a political, religious, ethnic, genre, socioeconomic, cultural or any other nature that may affect the fundamental rights of the Guide Service users.

Conduct the final evaluation of the activity jointly with the clients and the farewell to the group in accordance with the established Protocol.

Logistic and Planning

The local or site Tour Guide can plan and oversee all the necessary logistics so that the activity will be developed observing the quality and safety parameters offered.

Languages

The local or site Guide working in a foreign language other than Spanish must demonstrate oral and written command of that language at an advanced or equivalent level.

Standards in force for Tour Guides

Below we share with you the Standards and Laws established by the Chilean government concerning Tour Guides, their classification and performance.