CU B.SC TTM Tour Guiding and interpretation skills

your company and your country as a destination were the right choices for their vacation. A good impression, in the very beginning of the visit, will put everyone in the right mood towards an overall success. Reverse to this situation would make them feel that they have committed a mistake by choosing this country as a destination and they start foreseeing a lot of problems all during their stay. This could mean that they are likely to make complaints even over small matters, and it could also mean that they will refuse to buy the extra services which otherwise would have contributed to your company’s financial gains. Hence, properly prepared, planned and well-conducted transfers of groups will ensure a smooth and happy start. While doing so train your staff to always put themselves in the clients’ shoe and how would they feel after a long flight when they are not only tired but they may also be dehydrated (as a result of the physical effects of flying, and of drinking alcohol on the flight which exaggerates this effect). They may be suffering from the change of climate from their country to yours. (A North European coming to South Asia in January could be experiencing a difference of as much as 45 to 50oC which requires a little adjustment). They are often nervous, for there is a fear of a foreign culture, foreign food, foreign people of different races and colours, of getting lost, ill, or robbed, and who knows what others fears! Of course, you can also look at these fears in a more positive way and can be regarded as part of the challenge, the excitement, or travelling abroad. After-all your clients did choose to come to you. Therefore, you must train your staff to apprise the tourist(s) being comfortable and safe. Once this is achieved atmosphere of noisy and hot airport bureaucracy and rudeness of many immigration and customs officials, the delay for that luggage, and the inadequacy of the trolleys can also be overlooked by them because what clients expect from you at this stage is: • feel safe and secure, • satisfy physical needs, • belong with others, and • have their status recognised. Everything you plan before, during or after their transfer must centre around fulfilment of these needs. You should also consider whether your clients actually need you to conduct this transfer for them? He/she may not, since most adults are capable of finding their way to wherever they wish to go. It may take them longer, especially if there are language problems, and it may be less comfortable, more expensive, and slower to do it themselves but still they need you because you can do transfers for them more cheaply, more quickly, more comfortably, than they can themselves, and you can also provide for all those personal needs which are listed above. If you are unable to manage all this you are as good as those tourists in arranging all this for themselves. Clients will soon realise this and your business will evaporate. Now let us look at what steps you shall take as a manager to ensure that all goes well and the clients’ needs are met. In fact, several days before pre-arrival day you should crosscheck: • that required/requested kind of transport has been 201

booked, i.e., booked vehicle should be the right kind of vehicle for the purpose, that your staff is using the most appropriate transport for your clients. Clients may have requested air conditioned vehicle or they may have been carrying a lot of luggage so that a larger vehicle or even a second vehicle especially for the baggage may be needed. (This particularly applies to active special interest groups like divers, climbers, trekkers, and campers). • the transport arranged by your staff must be reliable, safe, well maintained and clean. The driver must be briefed as to exactly where the transport will be located in the airport terminal building and how escort can locate it. You must check if a voucher is required for transport and hotel must be released by you well in advance and must ensure that there vouchers are prepared for all items and after rate agreed. If there is need for some cash for payment of porterage of luggage then you must assess the required amount and release the cash. Ensure that your staff has informed the transport company about the number of passengers and bags expected and other relevant details. • As a good manager/supervisor it is your responsibility to ensure that hotel rooms in required numbers shall be made available on arrival and you shall also advise the hotel front office and house keeping about what time the clients will actually be arriving in the hotel so that the housekeeping department is ready for them (this is especially true in the case of very late arrivals). Not only this you should also apprise your staff about other needs of your clients. • You must always brief the escort to collect and carry information on: • Flight number; • Name list; • Details of transport, transport voucher; • Hotels’ name and address, rooming list and hotel voucher; • Together with any special details such as the nature of the group, difficulties with mobility, VIPs, etc.; and • Greeting/sign board (individual tourist’s placard giving name of the tourist, country coming from or company he/she is representing, etc.). In some cities where there is a long transfer between airport and city there is a representative who meets at the airport and then despatches the group to the hotel where another representative awaits. In such cases it becomes important for you to arrange for both. In an identical briefing, but, of course, one who receives at the airport has the transport vouchers and one who escorts them to hotels will have the hotel vouchers. In such a system you need to develop proper communication systems between both the employees and try to provide both of them mobile phones so that both of them can update each other about the movements of the tourist(s). It is for you to develop a culture of checks and rechecks among your staff. For example, before reaching the airport they should call the airline and establish the Actual time of arrival. This is possible only when the aircraft has actually left its departure point. Advise them not be persuaded by the scheduled time of arrival which can be widely different due to technical or non-technical reasons. If there is a substantial change to the timings ask them always to advise 202

the transport company and the hotel of changes, accordingly. You must ensure that your transfer staff has reached at the airport before the passengers come out of the waiting hall. Tell by your experiences for how long it may take for passengers to come out of the immigration cell. Try to provide your staff an airside pass only then he/she enter the customs hall assisting and greeting passengers. In some airports where this is not allowed because of security concerns you must apprise your staff of the same so that they shouldn’t commit any thing of this sort and while doing transfers they must position themselves in public/visitor’s gallery immediately outside the customs hall closely indicating their guest’s/group leader’s name. • You should take precautions at this point of time to gain first impression for your company since you will not get another chance to repair your impressions, • Your staff should be clean, neat, and very well groomed (Use the personality factor), • Your staff should be wearing a badge which identifies him/her as the official in charge of your clients; and • If possible your staff can wear a uniform since this also helps your client to easily recognise and trust the staff deputed. In short, you must equip your airport transfer boy/girl with the following material ready for use: • Badge, • Uniform as prescribed, • Greeting board, • Name list, • Clipboard and pen, • Mobile phone or phone card or coins, • Tips or voucher for porters, • Transport vouchers, • Hotel vouchers, • Welcome packs and/or gifts, • Hotel registration cards, and • Smile of the escort. Certain other aspects to be taken care of include: i) Passengers’ Identification: You must train your staff to greet tourists cheerfully and briefly welcome them, and tick them off on his/her list (for the purpose of security and status), ask them to wait in the waiting lounge so as to allow all members of the group to assemble. In case, if he/she finds that someone is missing, immediately ask the airport information service to announce: • Name of missing passenger, • Name of tour group, • Place arrived from, • Easily identifiable meeting point, and • Ensure this announcement is in the language the passenger speaks. On rare occasions when the passenger does not appear, your staff must be apprised of procedures as to immediately check with the airline that whether the group was in fact on board the flight or not. If not, there is no need to wait. If so, then your staff is required to repeat the public announcement and shall also leave a written note at the information point giving advice to the passenger about how to catch up with the group. You must advise your transfer staff to wait for at least 30 minutes and then continue with the transfer. It is advisable that at all stages of tour your staff keep the other passengers informed of the reasons for the delay (This reassures them that you are doing a careful job). If any passenger reports loss or damaged baggage in the customs/baggage areas your staff shall be trained to fill forms for tracing/ replacing the bags obtained from the airline staff. This is where your airside pass would of great help. Your staff at this juncture shall reassure the 203

passengers, who feel very scared under this situation and may become very upset. Make sure that the airline gives the passenger copies of all forms filled in and that these are carefully kept by the clients as they will be required for insurance claims. The airlines are responsible for finding and forwarding lost bags and fixed rates of compensation are payable to help with the cost of toiletries, and other essentials when bags are lost or delayed. In such cases your staff shall offer themselves to go with the client for this essential shopping. Another critical situation comes when at any point of time your staff has to leave the clients to attend to another matter advise them to always “signpost”. This means that should not just disappear but they explain therein where they are going and why. Failing to do this can lead to chaos amongst the group members. Examples could be “please stay here I am going to check on the coach” or “I will be back in 10 minutes, I am going to help with that damaged bag”. When your staff has all the passengers, and all their bags are accounted for, he/she should lead the group to the vehicle holding the welcome notice high so that they can follow them through a crowd. Go steadily, so that all can keep up, and talk to the passengers in a welcoming manner about their journey, etc. It is advisable that you should instruct your staff to take care of group members while crossing roads. Before boarding the vehicle your staff shall also ensure that each person checks/is requested to identify their own bags been loaded. Usually, the loading will be done by the porters or the driver but they cannot be expected to know which bag belongs to whom. Before moving off welcome the group again, saying your name clearly and checking the number of passengers present is still correct. When your driver is driving a group to the hotel you should advise him to introduce himself as well the name of the hotel and tell the group the approximate driving time that may take to reach there. Departure Transfers Tourists who arrive in groups or as individuals are required to go through transfer procedure once again, i.e., the departure transfer. The departing experience of a client is as crucial as arrival transfer for your company’s image. Departure transfer for your clients is to be handled very professionally by your staff. Like the arrival transfer it starts some days beforehand. Within 72 hours after arrival all scheduled seats for the next sector should be reconfirmed. This means that you should have gathered up all the tickets and done this for your clients. Beware, there are just a few airlines which have different requirements such as “reconfirm within 72 hours of departure” and failure to comply can lose clients their seats. Get to know your local situation. You are supposed to act professionally while handling/supervising such transfers. For instance, each and every client must be advised in writing one day before of their flight time and date and pick up time from the hotel. This can be achieved by putting a 204

notice on the tour notice board, or you can leave a letter for each client with reception. (If you do not put this in writing there is a risk that a client who misses the flight can blame you.) Details of any departure tax payable should be included. Once again, you need to reconfirm transport and voucher arrangements with the transport company and double check that there is no change in the flight time. You need to establish and inform how much in advance before the departure clients should settle their extra bills at reception. Computerised accounts of hotels can usually issue bills just before departure unless the group is very large, but some properties prefer this to be done a night before. On departure day you shall advise your staff to follow the departure transfer checklist (given below) which is essentially the same as for the arrival transfer. Remember that the customers’ needs are the same, i.e., full attention. He or she may again be nervous and unsure but by now has developed trust in you and should be easier to direct. Departure Transfer Checklist • Brief clients in writing and in advance, • Brief hotel and porters to be ready, • Be at hotel early, • Ask reception if everyone has paid extras, • Gather up clients, phone rooms of those who do not appear, • Load bags (each client to confirm), • Remind clients to: • pay extras, • return keys, • empty safe deposits, and • have passports and tickets in hand luggage. • Load passengers, • Depart for airport, • On route explain procedure at airport, • Explain what facilities there are airside (toilets? Post office? Duty-free? Bars? Café?), • Drive as close as possible to check in area, • Before leaving bus wish them a safe and happy journey home and that they will come back soon. Sound as if you mean it, • While saying goodbye some passengers may offer small tips and gifts. Thank for these but NEVER solicit them, • Assist with getting porters/trolleys, • Assist with check in procedures/airport tax paying, etc., • Escort to security and passport control, • When all have gone airside you can leave but not before, and • If there is a delay before the clients have gone airside you are still responsible for them. iii) Other Areas for Supervision in Inbound Tour Operations Tourism is a very sensitive industry as it deals with people and their holidays. In the preceding sections various aspects that are necessary were mentioned for making the customer feel comfortable. However, certain other aspects should also be taken into account. 1) As a tour operator you must manage your finances well. 2) As a tour operator, besides having proper product knowledge, you must also have a proper understanding about the functioning and role of each organisation (like airline, hotel, surface transport, Government department, such as, Archaeological Survey, Ministry of Environment, etc.). He or she should also analyse the options available and work out contingency plans. 205

3) You, as well as your employees in a tour operation company should always be prepared to react to any sudden development (strikes, health problems, political upheaval, non-availability of hotels or airline seats, etc.) to handle such situations, you should train your staff to take on the spot decision to offer solutions. 4) Increasing use of technology has considerably changed the nature of operations management. However, computers, fax machines and even telephone systems also keep breaking down (e.g., power cuts, etc.). Hence, it is important that you should also train your employees in manual systems as it comes handy in times of crisis. 5) Market research, market segmentation, understanding the tourist markets, tourist profiles, etc. are essential for achieving success in business and a tour operator must pay considerably attention on these aspects. Besides, proper linkages have to be established with principal suppliers. Preparing attractive brochures, participation in travel marts and travel conventions help the tour operator in increasing business. Many tour operators are also going for direct selling to the consumers by putting advertisements in the print as well as electronic media. Outbound Tour Operations: This department specialises in providing facilities to only those passengers who intend travelling abroad. In order to perform a variety of jobs, it can be divided into following small sections: i) Documentation Section To travel abroad one requires procuring a number of documents and fulfil a set of formalities. This section, therefore, focuses upon these formalities and documents required for all types of foreign travel. Any person wanting to go abroad shall have to come into contact with the documentation section of the travel agency/tour operations department. It is only after asking the reason of visit you can and shall advice him/her about the documents needed for obtaining the required visa of the country of visit or for any other approval like that of RBI or Income Tax Office. The formalities and the documents needed for travel abroad differ according to the purpose of visit. There are various reasons for travelling abroad – tourists for higher education, business, medical treatment, immigration, etc. In each case the formalities and the supporting documents differ not only from country to country but from the point of view of motives of travel also. ii) Visa Section This section keeps all the information for the formalities involved in obtaining visa for different countries. The staff collects and endorses passports on behalf of passengers and delivers them to passengers much in advance from the date of journey. iii) Reservation Section This is another important section which deals with the reservation of transport and 206

hotel accommodation. The staff in this section has to be well conversant with all the airlines’ timetables, airfares for different sectors and hotel accommodations, types and tariffs at most visited destinations. After taking note of all the details of the programme information is recorded by them on a specially printed sheet of paper. Thereafter a suitable travel plan is drawn giving suitable flight connections with arrival/departure timing and places of stay. It also makes an approximation of the cost for staying and the airfare. After the approval of the travel plan, a finally typed copy is given to the passenger for his reference. This is known as itinerary. After getting the itinerary approved the reservation section contacts the concerned airlines and asks for seats as per the itinerary. The concerned airline will also be given a copy of the full programme of the passenger because it will also send reservation messages to its concerned officers for the onward flight confirmation as per the programme. On obtaining all the confirmations, the airline informs the agent that all the onward reservations are ready. On receipt of this information the agent issues its voucher drawn on the airlines asking them to issue their tickets in favour of the passenger as per the details of the flight given in the voucher. Some of the important contents of voucher may include: a) Name of the Passenger, b) Place to be Visited, c) Date, d) Flight Number, e) Time, f) RBI Permit Number, g) Passport Number, h) Applicable Fare, and i) Agent Code Number. After receiving this voucher the airline issues the tickets. The ticket is sent to the agent who crosschecks it and after complete satisfaction hands it over to the passenger. Thus, it is seen that you have to provide a number of services to the passenger for which no extra amount is charged. The passenger gets the benefit of guidance and services from you. You must acknowledge the fact that in your absence he/she would have had to waste a lot of time, energy and money. Another feature of outbound tours is selling the packages of the inbound tour operators of other countries. There are few big companies who develop their own outbound packages and the product designing in such cases involves all steps that are necessary for developing a tour package. However, when you act as a seller of others, you must ensure that the package actually has in terms of services all that which has been promised. Fam trips, linkages and experience help in this regard. Such a precaution is must because it is you who is selling to the tourist. If anything goes wrong the tourist will hold you responsible and the same will be the case in a consumer court. Managing The Marketing Of Tour Packages 207

Marketing techniques and strategies for tourism services are already discussed at length in MTM-6 (MS-6). These marketing strategies are basically related to appropriate application of marketing principles like product, price, promotion, place, people, packaging and process (marketing mix). While marketing of tour packages, application of each of these principles vary in inbound tours and outbound tours. Marketing Inbound Tours : While marketing inbound tours focus is on popularising your product in tourist generating countries so as to attract tourists. Therefore, emphasis is on developing marketing programmes targeting at achieving this goal. So far in India, we have been following traditional methods of publicising our products through 18 overseas offices of Department of Tourism. Only a few tour operators having their offices in other countries too, print and circulate their brochures highlighting the special features of their products, otherwise mostly bank upon the marketing efforts of Department of Tourism. This method is so conventional that even when any small or medium sized tour operator wishes to participate in international travel exhibition or exposition like ITB, Berlin one has to go through Department of Tourism because space is booked by them and then it is sold out to Indian participants through Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). If you want to succeed in inbound tour operations you are required to make efforts for getting a direct access to overseas markets. This can become possible once you start your marketing programme with one world principle, i.e., “customer care” or “quality”. Desired quality of the product and proper customer care to the tourists booked by your overseas contact acts as marketing tool for you. This is because your overseas contact develops a confidence in your company. You should also be prepared to design on demand packages as per the tourists’ interests. When you have designed your products with above-mentioned mantra in mind, pricing will never act as a hindrance for effective marketing. As a conventional practice in the trade, whoever was providing the product at lower rates could get the business. But today these trade players have shifted their focus to quality rather than quantity while pricing their products. As a result, the market is divided in to two blocks – one who is targeting at budget class or mass tourists and other block in targeting at niche markets who are not bothered by prices of product. You have already been told that promotion for quality products is word of mouth rather than expensive marketing campaigns as far as individual tourists are concerned. For example, even before buying a package to India inbound tourists gather a lot of information from those who have already visited India. As a result when an independent foreign tourist (FIT) lands at airport he/she looks for taxi driver to drive him/her to a particular hotel at place X. Not only this he/she has to complete idea of the 208

location of such place of stay. This has become possible due to word of mouth publicity and promotion of quality products. Therefore, if you want to be a successful tour operator you must try to market package tours which are the combinations of quality conscious service providers in the trade. 55 Once the product is designed priced and promoted by application of appropriate tools, its distribution (place) requires proper planning. You have the option of either going directly to the consumers by sending messages to foreign tourists through their print and non- print media or you can plan your marketing efforts in an organised manner along with other trade players. Many countries use their tourism offices and embassies for tourism promotion. In such cases you must apprise the Tourism department about your products. Marketing of inbound tour operations should centre around quality assurance at all levels of product designing, development, and product delivery/promotion, post-delivery efforts are making an impact on your overall marketing philosophy, i.e., whether you gather feedback and analyse it or not. Thus, you are advised to practise all these and other creative activities to be a successful inbound tour operator. Marketing Outbound Tours: Unlike inbound tour operations here the target group is ever increasing and ever changing particularly in developing countries like India. In 1970s and 80s outbound tourism was seen as an elite practise and moreover a few destinations in Europe were popular like London, Paris, Switzerland. These destinations were heavily publicised by Indian movies of that period. For example movie like “An Evening in Paris”, “Night in London” and “Around the World in Eight Dollars” and many more movies with the same focus. Late 80s and early 90s saw a shift in this trend and Indians started looking for other destinations than these traditional ones. This changing trend coincided with the aggressive marketing campaign of Singapore Tourism Promotion Board and as a result today out of 5 million outbound Indian tourists nearly 65% are registered with Singapore, spending almost Rs.1500 crores a year. While marketing to this ever-increasing size of market you will have to keep in mind that you have to be different in your approach not only in terms of product prices, product quality but also in terms of your product knowledge. In other words, any product be it Singapore, Malaysia or Switzerland, you must familiarise yourself and your marketing staff with these destinations. Only then you can present a convincing picture of the destination in front of your customers. You know that tourism being intangible; it is very difficult to sample it. It is, therefore, your first hand knowledge of the tourist destination(s) you are representing which will help you in marketing them effectively. Most commonly used tool to achieve this goal is take advantage of familiarisation tours conducted by these destinations as promotion tools. These 209

familiarisation tours are discussed at length in Unit 6. Moreover, you or your staff can avail of the facility of group escort, visiting either of these destinations. It’s a matter of practice on a group of every 10-14 passengers you get one complimentary ticket. Same is applicable on hotel bookings. Thus, you can train your marketing staff by equipping them with the first hand knowledge of their products. As an effective marketing manager you shall divide your marketing department according to different destinations you are planning to represent, e.g., if you are repres enting four destination but within the same continent, i.e., Europe you need not departmentalise. But if you are representing four destinations falling in different continents (TC Areas) then to train your staff you should departmentalise it. Reservation on International Airlines International airlines or the ‘flag carriers’ represent their country and normally have their own country’s flag painted on the aeroplane. The majority of the international carriers are owned and sponsored by the governments of their respective countries. The international airlines and routes require an agreement between the various governments based on political and socio -economic consideration as well as the frequency of flight negotiations between the two countries. Therefore, the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) attempts to resolve policies and fares applicable to the participating international air carriers. As a travel agent, it is necessary for you to use several airlines to complete a trip since no single airline give or can give services for every city. It becomes essential for you to know the major route structures and remember the general geographical regions serviced by each airline. Airlines and travel agencies must have a complete copy of all tariffs at all offices where air tickets are being sold in order to obtain the correct fares. As soon as the latest revision in tariffs is received by you, you must review and revise them promptly. To maintain a tariff plan properly, you should compare each revision transmittal number with the list on the cover sheet to be sure that each revision is in sequence and complete. You should check the correct number on the pages published in the front of each tariff. You should also know each effective date and any information on the transmittal that is especially important and then collate and insert in the tariff on all effective pages. The local and joint passenger rules tariff provides the individual and group airlines policies governing the transportation of passengers and their luggage. There are airline rules for handicapped passengers, children under five years of age travelling alone, carrying fire arms abroad, a commercial flight, food service abroad flight, excess baggage charges and regulation in the tariff rules governing all aspects of airline and passenger relations. Recently the use of plastic cutlery on board has been made standard on all flights as a result of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Centre. 210

Once the new tariff rules are approved and regulations passed these become official dealing with passenger handling. It is mandatory that your and airline employees must follow the rules published in the tariff otherwise you or your company will be liable to pay the penalties. Similarly, the local passenger fares tariff contains different regular fares of each participating carrier. A careful study by you will make you understand these fares quite easily. The joint one-way and round-trip fares and rules are published to cover transportation by two different airlines. In other words, a joint fare becomes one fare covering transportation over two different carriers with the stipulation that the passenger must chance plane in a certain specified city. In the joint fare it becomes a lesser amount than the sum of two one way fares would be charged over the same route. Ticketing Rules and Regulations A) Guidelines for International Tariff Rules As a manager in a tour operation company you need to acquire knowledge related to tariff construction for which certain guidelines may be used by your staff. While reading and finding the international tariff rules the following points must be observed by you: a) Refer the latest edition of air tariff including the most recent supplements, b) Check the airline tariff fare schedule for the applicable rule, c) Consult the tariff index for the rule numbers, d) Check the rule for the conditions governing normal and special fares. Identify the section of the rules most applicable. Make sure that there are no recent changes in fares, e) Refer and read the concerned rules thoroughly, f) Read the portions of the rule which are applicable to the carriers, g) Check the rules regarding the carriers in question, and h) Make a study of the proportions specially which begin with ‘applicable to’ and ‘not applicable to’ to see, if the carrier is mentioned. B) Reference of Travel Directories for Ticketing To function efficiently in the travel business you shall be able to give customers complete and correct information. The information on airline schedules is of particular importance. All airlines publish their own schedules of flights. 211

However, to avoid maintenance of schedules for each and every airline, you can use one of the two comprehensive guides which has updated information on all the airlines timetables, viz.: • ABC World Airways Guide, and • Official Airlines Guide (OAG) These guides are available worldwide and are updated on a monthly basis. You must always ensure that you are using the current edition and you must be familiar with their layout and how to use them efficiently. The Official Airline Guide is normally used in North, Central and South America. However, the ABC World Airways Guide is the one which is most commonly used in Asia, Europe and Africa. You have read about them in detail in TS-1. However, you must remember that these would enable you to supervise and manage your tour operations effectively and efficiently. a) IATA Codes The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed a three letter coding system for major cities and airports of the world. There are number of reasons for this, the most important being that there are many places with the same or similar names and errors could occur. However, each place has its own different three-letter code. These reference guides state IATA codes, minimum connecting times, arranging and checking airline tickets. These are recapitulated in brief for your reference: It is not necessary to learn these codes by heart at once as you can always refer to them in either the ABC World Airways Guide or the Air Passenger Tariff. However, listed below are the three-letter codes for some airports of the South Asia region. With regular use of such codes, you will become more familiar and will recognise the ones most commonly used instantly. You should try to learn as many as you can by remembering each new one as you come across it. Country Airport IATA Code Bangaladesh Dhaka DAC Bhutan PARO PBH India Delhi DEL Maldives MALE MLE Nepal Kathmandu KTM Srilanka Colombo CMB b) Using ABC World Airways Guide The ABC World Airways Guide comes in two volumes. The first volume has some general information and schedules from cities belonging with A to M. The second volume gives schedules from cities N to Z. It also has other information such as car hire directory and rates and an airline feature section. It also has each airport/city having a three-letter code and each airline a two-letter code, called a designator. The ABC will give airline designator codes and airport codes in alphabetical order. The ABC also contains an instruction section on how to read the ABC. You should refer to this section if you are in doubt. 59 When you need to use the ABC, it is important to know the layout of the information contained in it. It is presented in logical format and always follows that format. Here is an example of how the ABC is laid out. The schedule is laid out in alphabetical order starting with the city of departure. This city will appear in bold typeface. The word “From” is placed before 212

the city. The country name and the IATA threeletter code will follow the departure city’s name. Thus, if you are looking up flights leaving male in the ABC, the information will appear as follows: From MALE Republic of Maldives (MLE) The next heading is APT which stands for airport. This section gives information on airport name or names (for cities which are served by more than one airport), the distance from the city centre, the check-in times by which passengers using the airport must present themselves, and details of transportation available from the airport to the city. Once you have found the airport form which a client wishes to travel, the next thing to do is to find the city to which he/she wishes to travel. These are called arrival cities and are listed in alphabetical order below the city of departure. They are written in medium typeface and are followed by the three letter city code. After finding the departure and arrival cities, all you have to do is look for the flight schedules linking one to the other. The ABC lists all scheduled direct flights plus a number of transfer connections (which would mean a flight change) between the city of departure and the destination. The flights connecting the two locations are listed in time order using the 24-hour clock system. The flights are shown on one line and give the departure and arrival times for the flight. Once you have found the flight schedules for the selected routing you need to check that the flight is operating on the date the passenger wants to take the flight. This information will appear in a column before the flight time. It is written in date format and shows the dates the flight operates. If no date appears it means the flight operates for the duration of the published guide. The ABC also indicates the days of the week flight operate. This information is given by numbering the days of the week. For example, 1 = Monday, 2 = Tuesday, and so on. Under the column Dep. and Arr. the times given are the local times of departure and the local time of arrival at the city of destination. A three-letter airport code may also appear if the destination city has more than one airport. The next column to be referred to is the Flight No. column. This column gives the airline code followed by the flight number. Airline codes are two letter codes for the airline flying the particular route. You do not have to memorise these codes as they are given in the ABC World Airways Guides. Information is also given on the type of aircraft that will fly the route, the class of service available on board and the number of intermediate stops made en route from one city to another. For your reference one duly filled up schedule is given below: Validity Days of Flight Stops From To service Dep . Arr. No. Acft. Class From Name Of The City Of Origin Name Of Country (IATA CODE) Apt. (This section gives details of the airport or airports of the city of origin) Str. (This section gives details of ground transportation available to and from the airport. 213

It also details check-in-times) Destination city Local time of Local time Flight Aircraft Class of Stops Details limitations departure of arrival number type service if any On schedule 60 c) Minimum Connecting Times The ABC World Airways Guide also details on Minimum Connecting Times (MCT). A minimum connecting time is the time needed by a passenger to make a transfer from one flight to another to complete his/her itinerary. It is important that you give customers this information so that they can meet connecting flights when necessary. The time needed to get from one aircraft on its arrival to the next is expressed as a minimum amount of time. Of course, if you have slow or elderly passengers you should allow more time by booking a later onward flight. When you book connecting flights and allow the minimum connecting time, or longer, and the passenger misses the second flight, the airline which brought him to the connecting point will accept the blame and arrange onward travel, or pay for a hotel overnight for the passenger affected. However, if you undercut the connecting time, and the passenger misses the flight, then the extra expenses will be your company’s responsibility! Don’t do it! (If you book through one of the CRScomputer reservations system then the MCTs are built in for you). You must be aware of time zones and the time calculations world over are based on Greenwich Mean Time and the international date opposite it. d) Arranging and Checking Airline Tickets Airline tickets issued for travel are very important documents. They are evidences of contracts made between passengers and carriers (note, not between agent and passengers). The passenger is given the ticket upon payment of money. This ticket will specify all the necessary details of the passenger, the itinerary, the dates of travel, the class of travel and the fare which has been paid. All tickets must be completed accurately and with great care. If passenger tickets are incorrectly completed it can cause problems for the passenger and may result in a loss to the travel agent. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes a Ticketing Handbook which should be consulted if you are in doubt. Fully licensed IATA travel agents hold stocks of blank tickets for the various airlines. Those which use CRS (Computer Reservation System), hold stocks of universal tickets which can be used for any IATA airline. When a ticket is sold by a full IATA agency the airline will pay the full commission rate. This can vary but is usually 9% of the fare. Some travel agencies do not have an IATA licence but can still sell tickets. They have to obtain tickets from an airline or from a full IATA Agency. Because they do not hold the ticket stocks their staff do not calculate the fare or write it on the blank tickets. This work has been done elsewhere. However, if you are working supervising a non IATA office you are still able to check whether your partner, agency or company has done correct calculation or not as it is your client who will face 214

discomfort or inconvenience and not their and so, it is your responsibility to care for your own customers. Where ticket issue is done by another organisation you will split commission and may earn around 4 or 5% of the fare as sub-agent commission. When a ticket comes out of the safe it looks like a book of coupons. Each coupon has a function. Every airline ticket will have the following coupons: Audit Coupon: This is for the accounts department of the particular airline. It is taken out when the ticket is issued and attached to a sales report. Validity Days of Flight From To service Dep. Arr. No. Acft. Class Stops MALE COLOMBO Sri Lanka (CMB) Dec. 1 Jan. 31 1357 0800 0830 UL 101 310 Y 0 12345 0930 1000 UL103 737 Y 0 61 Flight Coupon: These are also for the airline. There is one for each sector that the passenger will fly. The correct coupon is extracted from the ticket when the passenger checks in at the airport and is exchanged for a boarding card/pass. Tickets come as TWO or FOUR coupon “booklets” and where a passenger needs to use more than one “booklet” then tickets containing the same number of coupons are used. For example, if a passenger made reservations for a six sector journey then two four coupon tickets would be issued and not one four coupon and one two coupon. The two remaining coupons would be voided to prevent their use. Agent Coupon: This is for the agent’s records. It is removed when the ticket is issued to the passenger (or to you by the issuing office). Passenger Coupon: This is for the passenger. It details the itinerary, the dates and times of travel and the amount of money paid for the ticket and is all that is left of the ticket when the journey is complete. Business travellers often require these for their expense claims in their offices. Airline tickets also contains pre-printed information which must advise your customers to read carefully covering: • Conditions for the contract, • Details of the limits of the airline’s liability, and • Reconfirmation requirements and items which may not be carried on board an aircraft. When issuing tickets which are completed manually (i.e., tickets not automatically printed from a Computer Reservations Systems) Everyone should be told to: • use only Block Capital Letters, • make sure that the handwriting is clear and readable, • make sure that the information is clear on all coupons, • use a blue or black ballpoint pen with a fine nib, • write the ticket in English, • never cross out anything on a ticket (if a mistake is made in filling out a ticket cancel it by writing VOID across the whole ticket and send it back to the airline), and • never destroy an airline ticket even if mistakes are made during completion. e) Manual Completion and Checking of Airline Tickets Airline tickets are best thought of as forms. Each box on the form (ticket) has strict rules about what should be written in it and how it should be written. Full details of each box are also given in the IATA Ticketing handbook. Any variation makes the 215

tickets useless and you will have a very unhappy customer. You need to learn exactly what must appear in every box. You can advise your less experienced staff to write a ticket on a photocopy sheet first and once this work is checked and corrected, then it can be copied carefully onto a real ticket for issue. This is a good way of learning as there is no risk and you can make as many corrections as you need to. For your reference a checklist: 1) Name of the passenger may include: The surname is written first, followed by a ‘/’ and the first name or initial of the passenger and then Mr., Mrs., Ms. Or Miss as appropriate. If the passenger is travelling to a place where someone will not know how to address him or her then it would be helpful to underline the name by which he or she should be addressed, which is usually the family name. 2) Check the cities from which the passenger will fly (point of origin) any places where he must change planes (intermediate points) and the final destination in the column marked ‘Form’. 62 Example: x/o Not Good For Passage From London Heathrow To Paris Charles De Gaulle To Geneva To Void Ensure That “Void” is written in any box not completed. Note that many cities have more than one airport. In this case the name of the airport to which the passenger will travel as well as the city name must have been written. If this has not been done then you must ensure that the itinerary you give to your client is very clear on this matter. In big cities there could be three or more hours by road between airports. 3) Check the maximum baggage allowance which can be carried free of charge in the column market ‘Allow’. Example: Allow KG 40 KG 20 KG 30 Or, if working on a piece system 1PC, 2PC or 3PC. Ensure that the correct allowance has been given for your client and ensure that your client understands what is meant when you brief him. Inexperienced passengers are often shocked by the cost of carrying excess baggage. 4) The airline’s name or two letter IATA code should be inserted in the column marked “Carrier”. Example: UL (Air Lanka), TG (Thai Airways), QF (Qantas) and it will be followed by the flight number and class of service to be provided in the column marked ‘Flight/Class’. Flight CLASS 101 Y Many clients have airlines they particularly like, or dislike. Ensure that they have got reservations with the right one. 5) Check the dates of the flights which are written using the following format: Note that there are always 02 digits in a date, and three letters in the month abbreviation. DATE 29 AUG 05 OCT 216

6) Check the time of departure(s) of flight(s) which are written using the 24-hour system of expressing time. Be very careful where flights depart in the night. If a flight leaves at 1155 on 27 63 March, it is at lunch time. 2235 on 27 March is late at night. 0055 on 27 March is only an hour later and check-in procedures will be on 27 March. Note that times are always shown as local times and arrival times do not appear on the ticket so you must also supply them to the client on an itinerary. Air tickets show clients where they must change planes but they do not show if a plane stops for refuelling or to pick up other passengers. Such short stops are a bonus on daytime flights as passengers can disembark and enjoy duty free shopping or just a stretch of their legs. However, on night flights such stops are a nuisance as the sleeping passengers must be woken and of course they add to the journey time. Information like this should be on your itinerary planner. Example: TIME 0730 1245 2315 VOID 7) Check the ‘Status’ column giving details of the reservation. This will have been written using the following codes: OK : The seat reservation has been confirmed by the airline. RQ : The seat reservation has been requested by has not been confirmed by the airline. NS : This code is used to indicate that the passenger (normally an infant) is not entitled to a seat on board the aircraft. SA : This code is used to indicate that a certain rule which applied to a particular fare does not allow the seat to be reserved in advance. If the passenger has RQ or SA on the ticket there is no guarantee that he or she is going to be able to fly on that flight. You must ensure that the passenger understands this. 8) In the column titled ‘Additional endorsements and restrictions’ details of any restrictions, endorsements or reimbursements are written fully. Certain cheaper fares will have rules which prevent the traveller from changing the reservations or having a refund if he or she cancels. You must ensure that they understand these restrictions fully. Some passengers prefer to pay more for a fully flexible fare (can be changed) when they understand this. 9) Certain Fares Rules may indicate restrictions on the date of flights to be taken by travellers. The column ‘Not Valid Before’ should be completed to indicate such dates. Example: Coupons not valid before 1 2 14 MAY 3 4 Coupons not valid after 1 2 3 4 24 JUNE The above example indicates that the flights indicated in flight coupon 2 may not be taken before May 14 and that the flight indicated in flight coupon 4 may not be taken after June 24. In other words, the passenger can make some alterations to his reservations but he must stay within these parameters. 217

10) The ‘Fare’ column shows the amount paid for the ticket in the currency of the country in which the travel starts. Example: Fare Rs.8,000.00 64 The above example indicates that the fare is Rs.8,000.00. If your company is dealing in discounted fares you may find that the fare shown is MORE than the customer has paid. This is common but technically wrong. However, you should never accept a ticket which has a face value of LESS than the customer has paid. The passenger will soon have a complaint. 11) If taxes have been collected at the time of payment for the ticket, the ‘Tax’ column should be completed indicating the currency and the amount collected. There are several kind of tax including departure tax, security tax, agriculture department tax and others. Each has a code. A complicated route could involve several different taxes appearing on one ticket and the client will question these. It is your job to advise your client about this clearly on the itinerary whether all taxes are paid or some more will be paid by customer at the time of departures or arrivals. 12) If discounts apply to a ticket the ‘Ticket Designator’ column should be completed. This will indicate the reason for the discount. Example: IN – an infant paying only a percentage of the adult fare CH – a child paying only 50% of the adult fare, etc. Check that these are correct for your passengers. 13) In the ‘Tour Code ’ column information detailing the code of any inclusive tour should be indicated. If this column has been completed there should NOT be any price shown in the fares section. 14) In the box, ‘Date and Place of Issue’, the official validator of the company issuing the ticket should have been used. Once all the boxes that are applicable to the journey have been checked against the file requesting the reservation your final task is to ensure that all the relevant information has been clearly and accurately reflected in the itinerary. You must also ensure that all coupons are clearly legible and contain all the necessary information for the ticket to be accepted by the airlines. Travel Vouchers In all travel agencies, services are ordered from suppliers. These services will be sold on to the travel agent’s customers. If each transaction that takes place between an agency and a supplier were to be paid for separately, for each and every service provided, for each and every customer, the amount of paperwork and the amount of cash moving around, would be enormous. To cut down on the amount of paperwork and money transactions between the supplier and the agency, a system has been devised whereby these transactions are reduced. This system involves the preparation and issuing of vouchers which are, in effect, promises to pay for the services which the supplier of such services 218

promises to provide . Vouchers are only accepted by a supplier if prior arrangements have been made. By using a voucher system the risks of handling cash transactions by staff are reduced and the number of individual transactions between the various suppliers of service are minimised. These vouchers are used for many activities including: • hotel accommodation and other hotel services, • excursions and tours, • transfers, • tour guide services, • restaurant services, • entrance fees to sites of interest, • theatre tickets, and • sports events tickets. As you have already been told that these vouchers are basically promissory notes, i.e., by issuing a voucher, the agent authorises the service supplier to provide the services specified on the voucher and gives a commitment to pay for those services at a later date. Hence, their controlling become crucial and you must take great care of all vouchers and control their use as failure to do so can result in fraud and financial loss for your company. Vouchers will normally have a number of copies for: • supplier’s copy, • customer copy, • client’s file copy, and • accounts copy. Below is a sample of a completed voucher. In the example chosen, the voucher covers the provision of hotel services. You should remember that vouchers can be issued to the suppliers of other services and not just those provided by hotels. Sample Voucher Any additional charges are to be billed directly to the client and collection of such charges is the sole responsibility of supplier since your agency cannot accept liability for charges for services not included on this voucher. You must train your staff that since vouchers are security documents, it is very important that they must take great care in completing and issuing them. By issuing a voucher you are committing your company to pay for the various services detailed in the voucher. Mistakes in filling vouchers can cost ABC World Travel Tel: Voucher Issued To: Royal Hotel Issued By: Rahul 123, Park Street Sales Trainee Dhaka ABC World Travel Services to be provided Passenger/client name: Mr. Varun Number of Pax: 4 Service requested: Two double rooms with bath Room rate: DBLD US$ 120.00 Tax/service @20% US$24.00 Basis: Full board Number of nights: Three From: 24/08/1995 TO: 26/08/1995 Total Voucher Value: US$ 864.00 incl. Validation: Company Validation Stamp Signed: Please provide bearer with services detailed 66 your company money. Vouchers should, therefore, be accurate and contain all the information necessary. You must always remember to validate all vouchers and have the signature of the person authorised to sign such vouchers on behalf of your company. Any voucher amended by supplier shall be treated as invalid. But rigorous enforcement of this could lead to problems for clients, so only vouchers which have been hand amended (or not amended) with A Reference on The Client File should be accepted for payment. Supervising Issues of an International Airline Ticket Once all the required procedures of international travel are completed next important step is to get a booking of international airline ticket. In the case 219

of an international airline the procedure is slightly different from the domestic ticket. The step by step procedure can be summarised as: When the client approaches you the following information may be acquired for the preparation of ticket: a) Nature of the client, b) Type of flight, c) Place of departure, d) Place of destination, e) Date of journey/departure, and f) Date of return. Once basic information is acquired then you shall: a) Refer the world-wide edition of OAG and look up to the place of destination from the place of departure, b) Write the date, clients, name and residential phone contact on reservation pad, c) Write the flight you have selected and date for customer’s flight, d) Again refer the OAG to select return flight of the client. Look up to the place of destination from place of departure. See the date of return, e) Transfer all this information to the itinerary pad, f) Contact the concerned airline and book the flights, g) If the flights are available circle OK, h) Make a note of the airline reservationist’s name and date on which the booking is made, i) Convey the passenger’s name, residential address and telephone contact number and travel agency’s phone number to the airline reservationist, j) Double the fare for round trip and add the international tax, k) Re-verify the fare. Refer to the Air Traffic Worldwide Book-I (Latest Edition, Yellow Pages). Check the fare. Check the fare from place of departure to the place of destination. Note down the fare, and When you find that the fare given by the airline is correct, you should be ready for ticketing. However, in case of stopover in some other city for a day en route to the place of destination there will be a different itinerary. In such a case you have to check the mileage in the same way as is given in the tariff listing. Thereafter, refer to the ‘Routing … non-stop sector mileage’s section of the tariff to check the non-stop sector mileage. By looking up the mileage under the stop over place, you may get the sector mileage listings for both the segments. Now one can complete the sector mileage and the computed mileage. If the computed mileage is well within the permitted mileage it is not necessary to increase the fare. In case of complicated fare itineraries, verification should be made with the airline rate desk who will give you the rate number. This rate number should be written on the fare construction portion of the tickets. 12.3 SUMMARY  We have familiarised you with guidelines regarding the management of day to day function in a tour operation company related to inbound and outbound tour operations. 220

It is essential for a tour operator to equip himself/herself as well as one’s employees with market conditions and product knowledge. The best method for the first hand product knowledge in either case would be the utilisation of familiarisation trips being offered by providers of services. As an effective manager you are required to plan and manage various activities related to inbound and outbound tour operations.  For example, liaisoning, costing, packaging, briefing, business correspondence, etc. It is for sure that if you are able to handle these vital issues with the objective of providing customer care, nothing can stop you from becoming a successful tour operator. You should not forget that today as a result of technological revolution destinations which were hitherto been unknown and inaccessible to people have come within their reach. Thus, once again you are required to update yourself on various new travel circuits that have been developed on global tourist map and consequent changes in rules, regulation and fees.  As you know that outbound tourism market has outnumbered the inbound tourism in India, it is believed that this trend would continue for another decade. It is, therefore, advisable that you also focus upon other areas like arranging meetings, conferences, and exhibitions of different trade guilds in India to demonstrate their products in overseas markets. This will bring not only ticketing business but will also earn you commission on areas like hotel bookings, insurance, space booking, shopping etc. Insurance and foreign exchange endorsements can generate lot of revenue for your company if proper attention is devoted to these areas. In addition, overseas education is also a promising area which can generate a lot of revenue for you, if you develop contacts with one or more foreign universities as their official representative in India. This again will provide you with ticketing business too. 12.4 KEYWORDS  Group Tour itinerary - A prearranged, prepaid travel program for a group usually including transportation, accommodation.  DMO Destination Marketing Organization – an organization dedicated to  Developing and marketing tourism, typically defined by a geographic or political area such as a town, city or region. 221

 Consolidator : Someone who puts all the ground components of a package together. For example, bus, activities, accommodation, programming 12.5 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 12.6 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 1. Why is it important to maintain good relations with your suppliers in tour operations business? 2. Discuss various procedures associated with inbound tour operations. 3. Write an essay on out bound tour operations. 4. 5. Long Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 222

Answers 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- 12.7 REFERENCES References book  Sven Gross and Louisa Klemmer “Introduction to Tourism Transport” – Cabi, UK, 2014 Peter Robinson, Michael Luck, Stephen Smith “Tourism”, Cabi UK, 2013 Lloyd E Hudman, Donald E. Hawkins “ Tourism in Contemporary Society An Introductory Text”, Prentice Hall, New Jersey -1989 Brian Boniface, Chris Cooper, Robyn Cooper “World Wide Destinations The Geography of Travel and Tourism”, Routledge, London and New York, 2009 Websites  IATO - https://iato.in/pages/view/9 TAAI - https://www.travelagentsofindia.com/ UNWTO - https://www.unwto.org/ UNWTO - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Organization IATA - https://www.iata.org/Pages/default.aspx IATA - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Air_Transport_ Association 223

UNIT – 13 : ESCORTING CIRCUMSTANCES-I STRUCTURE 13.0 Learning Objectives 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Dos and don’ts for tour escorts; guiding on a walking tour; guiding on a coach; guiding at a museum 13.3 Summary 13.4 Keywords 13.5 Learning Activity 13.6 Unit End Questions 13.7 References 13.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: 13.1 INTRODUCTION Who is a Guide? Finding an answer to this question that would be acceptable universally is a difficult task. In fact the perceptions about guides differ from region to region. We can therefore select some of the more commonly sought traits in guides and arrive at a definition which is rather broad in scope. One good definition is given below: A professional guide is in varying degrees a business person – often freelance, sometimes employee; a travel industry representative; a public relations representative for his or her site, city, region, and country – as well as an educator, an entertainer, and a public speaker, among other roles. 224

(Kathleen Lingle Pond, The Professional Guide, New York. 1993) Here it is necessary to point out that the guide may not have to perform all these roles simultaneously. It is quite possible that in specific situations his.attention needs focussing on his role as an educator and an entertainer only. In other situations he may be expected to be an eloquent public speaker. The only thing we would like to lay siress on is that the guide is a public relations representative for his site, city, region, and country in situations all and sundry. He or she must, therefore, possess a broad-based knowledge of the \"areas\" or subject being dealt with so as to be able to \"inform\" the tourists about it. (You will get more details on this aspect of guiding in Sub-sec. 15.4.2) Who is an Escort? The scope of an escort's terrain and expertise also varies considerably. Depending upon the nature of the tour, an escort is supposed to perform the role of an accompanying manager or asubject expert. He may escort the tour to a specific piece of art, rural area, geographical region, historical site, shopping centre, metropolitan area, and business site, etc. The role of an escort begins as soon as the tourist/s arrivals at his place. It ends only with the departure of the tourisds. During the stay of the tourist/s an escort may get a few permissions, but unlike a guide, he may not be free from his responsibilities throughout the duration of the tourist/s stay. In escorted tours the job also involves looking after facilitation, aspects like getting the custom clearances done or check in etc. at the airports. In fact an escort is responsible for the entire group during the journey and at the destination. 13.2 DOS AND DON’TS FOR TOUR ESCORTS; GUIDING ON A WALKING TOUR; GUIDING ON A COACH; GUIDING AT A MUSEUM A tour guide can easily make or break an experience based on cultural sensitivity. When they embrace a group’s diversity, everyone feels welcome. On the flip side, miscommunication, 225

impatience, or blatant intolerance often leads to unhappy guests — no matter how exciting a tour may be. A tour example of cultural sensitivity gone wrong I know this all too well from a night jungle walk in Costa Rica. Although we spotted a tarantula and a couple of active snakes, our tour guide ended up being the scariest sight of the evening. His constant shouting frightened the group and probably the two-toed sloth we never saw. But the most horrifying part was how he treated my friend from Germany. Instead of talking about the creepy critters and nocturnal animals with parts of commentary in tour guiding, each member of the group had to take turns reciting from a fact sheet. Already, this was a tedious way to present the information — not to mention it took us back to grade school and the anxiety of reading out loud. For the native English-speakers, this wasn’t a big deal. But my friend felt uncomfortable the entire time and how the tour guide reacted made it worse. As she struggled with every word, the more frustrated he became. At one point, he even ripped the fact sheet out of her hands and said she couldn’t read anymore. Needless to say, we walked away wishing we hadn’t booked in the first place — which is something a tour operator hopes to never hear. Why is being a cultural tour guide important? When you work in the tourism industry, you encounter guests from all walks of life. It’s a perk because you get to learn about other cultures without traveling full-time. But with it comes the responsibility of respecting and adapting to cultural differences, social norms, and language barriers. Part of that starts with proper tour guide training. Why? Group of travelers sitting on the edge of on sailboat with arms out wide in celebration 226

1. Tour guides interact face to face Without a doubt, your tour guides spend the most time with guests. They take phone bookings, check-in arrivals, show them around and entertain, offer travel advice, handle complaints, answer questions, and so much more. There are countless opportunities for a tiny slip up, and one cultural faux-pas can turn into a negative review. If your tour guides know how to interact with guests appropriately — regardless of cultural background — you should have nothing to worry about. What does that look like? Check out our tips for effective intercultural communication below. 2. Tour guides are brand ambassadors Your logo isn’t the only face of your brand — your tour guides are, too. Everything they do and say is a direct reflection of your tour company. When they make a fool of themselves, they also make a fool of your business. Put another way, if they offend a guest, it shows you condone that behaviour. To ensure your tour guides are on the same page, go over your mission statement and core values during the onboarding process, and as a refresher for team meetings. Let them know what you stand for as a tour company, and why their words and actions should always align. 3. Tour guides represent the destination Chances are your guests will meet other locals during their trip who can offer a glimpse into the community and way of life. But for the most part, your tour guides give the best insight because of the lengthy interaction and in-depth conversation they have with them. So essentially, your tour guides act as the welcoming committee. By being culturally sensitive, they demonstrate a hospitable attitude on behalf of your destination — which can influence a guest’s overall perception of the people and place. If they get warm, fuzzy feelings, they might boast about it back home, and even consider living there one day. 227

4. Tour guides set an example for tourists Kindness is a chain reaction. It only takes one person to show acceptance for many more to pay it forward. That is to say, a tour guide who takes the time to learn about another’s culture — their background, traditions, and customs — can inspire guests to have similar conversations outside of the tour. But more so, when they treat everyone in the group with respect, there’s a better chance your guests will do the same and leave a positive social impact of tourism. Ultimately, that’s what travel is all about — making new connections and embracing cultures different from our own. 15 do’s and don’ts in tour guiding Even if a tour guide claims to be worldly and knowledgeable, it’s easy to forget about cross cultural communication once they get into the routine of facts, stories, and jokes. So here is a cheat sheet they can use as a constant reminder: Two female travelers standing out of sunroof during road trip with hair flailing in the wind 8 Do’s Research before guests arrive: With Checkfront’s Guest Form, your tour guides can find out where guests are from and do a quick Google Search or use an app like CultureMee to see what cultural expectations they need to keep in mind. Speak slowly and deliberately: When using our native tongue, many of us tend to talk fast and mumble. But that makes it challenging for those who speak a different language to understand. So have your tour guides practice slowing it down and enunciating — public speaking is all about the delivery anyway. Treat every guest equally: One place isn’t better than the next. Your tour guides shouldn’t pick and choose which guests to pay the most attention to based on their unique accents. 228

Learn how to say their names: Dale Carnegie says, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” When your tour guides say a guest’s name correctly and use it in conversation, they make them feel valued. Respect physical boundaries: This should be standard practice anyways. Tour guides should never touch a guest — unless it’s offering a hand for an awkward step or helping with gear related to the tour. Show interest in where they’re from: The number one way to engage with guests is to ask them questions. Since most people love talking about where they live or grew up, your tour guides can start with that. Explain more than once: Not everyone is going to understand the first time. If someone asks for clarification, your tour guides should be more than willing to repeat something differently. Travel to unfamiliar places: The best way tour guides can learn about other cultures is to go out and explore themselves. Encourage them to travel in the off-season and visit places off the tourist trail. Three hikers taking a selfie in grasslands. 7 Don’ts Use slang or idioms: Anyone who’s learning another language starts with the basics first. So there might be a little miscommunication if your tour guides drop in local lingo or even popular idioms like “speak of the devil” or “a penny for your thoughts.” Get impatient with questions: There are no wrong questions. Even if someone asks something that seems like common sense, your tour guide should never make a guest feel bad about it because to them; it might not be. Stereotype nationalities: While some guests will laugh at what their country is known for, others might quickly get offended. That’s why it’s best to avoid poking fun at stereotypes altogether. Let your guests be self-deprecating if they want to instead. Discount the feelings of one: When everyone in the group is from one place, and there’s only one from somewhere else, that one guest should still receive the same attention and catering. Use offensive hand gestures: One secret to excellent public speaking is animation, but there’s a risk of giving someone the wrong signal. So, your tour guides should become familiar with rude hand gestures from around the world and get out of the habit of using them. 229

Make inappropriate jokes: This might seem like a given, but a tour guide can easily cross the line once they build rapport and banter with guests. They can still have funny tour guide jokes that are family-friendly. Expect a tip from everyone: In some countries, tipping isn’t customary for customer service. While you hope travelers brush up on local etiquette before their trip, your tour guides shouldn’t hold it against them if a guest leaves without a monetary thank-you. A Tour Guide might be required by the authority to go to instructional classes, workshops or other enlightening exercises designed by the authority, or any individual or organization following up on directions from the authority, with the end goal of proceeded with professional improvement in the tourism sector. He must refer good library, information resources, websites of the ministry of Tourism, incredible India, Archeological survey of India, UNESCO etc. He must see reputed magazine and news papers regularly and must watch informative news channels (related to travel, geography, history and other relevant areas etc.). Dos and Don’ts for a tour guide There are certain dos and don’ts for a tour guide. A code of conduct is more serious in nature. Dos and don’ts work as an advisory for a tour guide.  Do not accept tips from the tourist.  Do not quarrel with a group member or locals.  Always ask your driver to take lunch first. He has to be ready to drive once all the group members are finished with their lunch.  Do not use sarcastic language for group members and staff even in a language they do not know, understand or speak.  Do not talk loudly, roughly.  Do not try tantra, mantra, and black magic on tour group members.  Do not force group members to make purchases from unauthorized, unreliable dealers.  Do not over commit.  Do not stare at any individual in the group unnecessarily.  Clearly announce the time of stoppage on the way for using washrooms and the loo.  Clearly announce your name (simple form, which they could remember), meaning of signs on the way, distance you will travel, time taken in the journey and other information.  Keep your flag or placard (if prescribed by the company) ready.  Do not jump from a running coach, bus or train.  Do not take chance if there is an adverse weather forecast or a warning of land slide, avalanche, flood, tsunami etc.  Do not permit tourists to take the driver’s seat.  Inform the driver of the coach that honking is not allowed in many countries. 230

Why code of conduct and Do’s and Do not are required? There are certain norms and advisories in each profession that make our jobs more structured, systematic and smooth. If we follow these guidelines mentioned above, our job will become more secure and there will be fewer chances of error. Few advisories are issued by the government from time to time for the benefit of the guides and the tourists. It is the responsibility of a tour guide to keep an eye on these norms and advisories. Summary In this chapter we have discussed the code of conduct for a tour guide and the dos and don’ts. Code of conduct refers to certain norms or set of rules designed to keep a tour guide’s job smooth. Dos and don’ts are more generalized in nature. What Tour and Activity Operators Should Know about Walking Tours Some of the world’s most memorable moments can happen only on foot. Imagine taking hiking trips along a glacier in the Alps. Exploring secret side streets in a tiny French village. Or, walking down a rain forest path to a Costa Rican waterfall. You can experience this only on a guided walking tours. You can take in the sights, sounds, scents, and scenery first-hand. And, get a close-up look at a local landscape and culture. Mountain hiking walking tours The Benefits of Walking Tours to Your Customers  Not only that, it offers exercise, fresh air but even an intimate perspective on the city.  Tour operators can tailor walks to suit every interest and level of fitness.  You can organize a culinary tour that involves easy strolling through small Italian villages. Or you’d rather challenge your customers with a week of mountain hiking in the Alpes.  Finally, walking is also a great way to lower carbon footprint. Think of that! You can offer a sustainable eco-tour, which sounds great in customers’ minds. Eco tours are getting very popular due to a growing number of environmentally conscious travelers. 231

Define Your Target Customer Start planning a tour with a clear target audience in your mind. If it’s families, then it should be shorter, stroller-accessible and have a focus on a very engaging tour guide. If it’s a fitness walk, then it can be a longer route. For example, 4-5 kilometers with frequent stops to look at wildlife and discuss the river’s ecosystem and plans for it. Don’t forget to prepare refreshments at the end of the tour. All your decisions should flow from an idea of who would be on the walk and what they would want to learn. Remember, providing a unique experience for your customers will help your tour business to grow faster. The satisfied customer will most likely spread a good word about your business to his friends and on social media platforms. Imagine the free promotion for you! Tour guide, walking tours The Know-It-All Tour Guide Build tours around great tour guides. We have already talked about tour guides and what tour guide traits best appeal to travelers. A tour guide needs to have a deep respect for the city’s history. In-depth knowledge of the city that pulls visitors into the city’s history and culture from the first moment. Showing travelers a side of the city, or any destination, only a local tour guide with in-depth knowledge can have, is the best practice. No matter how much we love buildings, the fact is that people connect with people. So it’s good for a tour guide to have a few personal anecdotes ready. The walking tours are not all about education, it’s a social activity and a form of entertainment. Keep that in mind. Pick the Tour Site Define the route that follows a logic course. If it’s a historical tour, try to arrange it chronologically. For a nature-related walk, follow the edge of a river or an escarpment and avoid roads as much as possible. 232

Here are the questions that could help you:  How many streets will you cover in your tour?  Are there enough points of interest along the route?  Can you cover this tour the planned time (1-2 hours)?  Where will the group meeting point?  Are you offering refreshments?  What is the Best Group Meeting Time Don’t start too early in the morning. You don’t want to miss travelers who partied late in the night. Or families with children who need more time to get ready. You don’t want to start late in the afternoon and interfere with their dinner plans either. Tell customers the group meeting time is 15-20 minutes before the tour actually starts. This is especially important if you’re organizing your walking tour around a meeting or you’re having out-of-towners come in. Starting point, walking tours Pick the Right Starting and Ending Point A perfect starting point would be easily accessible, by car or public transportation. Pick a convenient, logical starting point. Consider amenities near the start, such as washrooms, and places to pick up last-minute snacks and drinks. Some of the best places for you starting point could be town main square, main train station or some important building everyone can find and recognize easily. Walking tour needs a beginning, a middle and an impressive end. You might want to end your walking tours at a historic site, or somewhere where there’s an amazing view. Wherever you choose to end it, there should be a good transportation connection, and both food and liquid. This means your customers will be able to take refreshments and chill for as long as they choose to. 233

Test your walking tour Test your Tour Now, you have everything set and you’re ready to announce your tour, invite people and go. Make sure to memorize all the places and stops on the tour. Then go out and walk your tour. But, before you do that, test your route with some family or friend first. Invite your friends and family to go with you and present them the tour. That way you will get an insight how would it look like with your first customers. People walk more slowly in groups than they do alone. They like to talk along the way. And, they stop to take photos. You will have to push people along a bit. Do it in a nice and funny way to make your customers laugh and to keep the spirits up on your tour! People will remember your tour by they felt on it, and, well, that depends on you. Read more about tour guide traits that appeal best to travelers. Let Them Hear about Your Tour We are living in the digital era. Word-of-mouth is very important. And, most travelers rely on rankings and reviews on the internet when choosing a tour or activity to go to. Spread the word about your walking tours through social media. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, will help you raise awareness. Take photos of your tour and invite customers to share it on their social media. That way you will reach the greatest number of potential customers. Learn more about how you can grow your social media fan base by collecting and sharing your customers’ authentic photos. Great way to let more people know about your amazing walking tours! Online Services to Help You Promote Your Tour Also, there are great online services to promote your tours and drive more fans to your website to make an online booking. 234

The Orioly online booking software enables you to add your social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) on it. Then, you can schedule posts and tweets for future publication. You can include “Book now” button into your social posts. List your tour on websites such as Tripadvisor, Yelp, or Gogobot. These are travel industry giants and you want to collect reviews about your tour through them. This is a Marathon, Not a Sprint The easiest way to show your customers you care is by sending a follow-up email. It can be as simple as a “thank you” note with photos from the tour you took of them. Building good reviews is important for your business. Tour Guide In a Museum What is a museum tour guide? A tour guide in a museum, also known as a museum docent, serves as an ambassador, educator and entertainer for the museum. These individuals possess a thorough knowledge of a museum's exhibits, which allows them to explain an exhibit or artifact's significance, and answer any questions that guests might have. Museum tour guides use their expertise to keep guests engaged. This sometimes involves leading large groups of individuals in a wide range of age groups, including children. Related: How To Become a Museum Curator: Step-By-Step Career Guide What does a museum tour guide do? The job description for a museum tour guide usually includes things like:  Leading museum tours for large and small groups of all ages  Conducting behind-the-scenes tours of the museum and its facilities for special groups and VIPs  Greeting tour groups as they arrive 235

 Interacting with a wide range of visitors in a variety of situations  Remaining up-to-date about current events and changes in the museum and its exhibits  Helping facilitate special events in the museum  Engaging with families and visitors in the museum when not giving a tour  Addressing questions from guests  Assisting the information desk  Creating a memorable and educational experience for visitors of all ages 13.3 SUMMARY  A professional guide is in varying degrees a business person – often freelance, sometimes employee; a travel industry representative; a public relations representative for his or her site, city, region, and country – as well as an educator, an entertainer, and a public speaker, among other roles. 13.4 KEYWORDS  Group Tour - A prearranged, prepaid travel program for a group usually including transportation, accommodation. 13.5 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 236

13.6 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions Short Questions 1. What are the Dos and don’ts for tour escorts; 2. Write an essay on guiding on a walking tour; 3 . What are the essentials for guiding at a museum 4. 5. Long Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Answers 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- 13.7 REFERENCES References book Websites  https://www.swisscontact.org/_Resources/Persistent/2/1/c/f/21cfcb269586d51c4003a 3cde9feded23f309cc6/Participant_Guide_Mod_1_Print_Version.pdf 237

UNIT – 14 ESCORTING CIRCUMSTANCES-II STRUCTURE 14.0 Learning Objectives 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Guiding at a religious place; guiding at an archaeological site; guiding on a nature walk. 14.3 Summary 14.4 Keywords 14.5 Learning Activity 14.4 Unit End Questions 14.5 References 14.0 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this unit, you will be able to: 14.1 INTRODUCTION You must encourage tourists to realize the importance of archeological site. You must be cautious about the fragile nature of the site, while visiting there. Keep in mind that it is the evidence of our golden past. You must encourage tourists to realize the importance of archeological site. You must be cautioned about the fragile nature of the site while visiting there. Keep in mind that it is the evidence of our golden past. Archeology 238

Archeology is a branch of academic study in which we study human history and prehistory through excavated things. It tells us about ancient and recent human past through excavated items. For example: things excavated from Harappa region tells us about the past human civilization in that area. Archaeo-tourism Archeo-toruism is tourism in which we may develop a kind of cultural tourism which helps to preserve archeological places and promote public interest in archeological sites. It has immense scope in India. There are many archeological/heritage sites in the country 14.2 GUIDING AT A RELIGIOUS PLACE; GUIDING AT AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE; GUIDING ON A NATURE WALK. Tour Guiding at archeological sites Carved out from the rock and the finishing work is marvelous which one can imagine that the tools used by the artisans were very normal chisels, and hammers further they were rubbed and polished figures depict the various Hindu Gods and goddesses, Jain Teerthankars, or meditation form of lord Buddha. If we visit any of the major archeological site in India one can find a archeological museum with the periphery of archeological site and a large number of collection of figures are displayed it is only by a experienced Indologist guide who has a brief knowledge on iconography and various postures of deities to explain visitors how to identify a god or goddess/ Jain Teerthankars/ lord Buddha/ celestial nymph/ Dwarpal, door panels, Yakccha, Yakchhanis, various incarnation of lord Vishnu, Tridev in deities i.e. Lord Brahma with consort Saraswati and second Lord Vishnu with consort Laxmi and Lord Shiva with Consort Parvati. In some of the sites there are number of notice boards which are very important to explain by the guides related to ancient monuments at protection law 1958 that every monument is highly sensitive one has to visit very carefully and do not have any impression by tourist simply one can visit between sun rise to sun set as some of the archeological sites allow normal camera for photography free of cost and non-commercial video camera on very minimum filming fee which can be easily affordable to the domestic and international tourists as archeological site may include old fort, palaces, summer palaces, hunting lodge, temples, churches, mosques, caves etc. Guide is responsible to explain certain do’s and do nots and what to carry and what not to carry to all age group people as well as both genders, which may cover various risks and 239

protection for individual while you are on tour to an ancient archeological site which includes walking stick, a torch, binocular, laser light, a tourist may wear light clothing and a proper Cap or Hat with a bottle of mineral water so proper time can be consumed with full of explanation by the guide and number of question answers can be between tourists and guides as Indian is a very rich known country in the world for ancient sites and normally it is observed that lot of advance preparation i.e. either advance study of via virtual tour tourists are prepared to initially listen the guide and further they are interested to know many more parts of the history of that archeological sites in deep knowledge which may cover part of law and order, administration, commercial and agricultural, educational activities, of such areas. Archeological sites may relate to the various religions for example: Hindu palaces, indoIslamic architecture, Buddhist architecture, Jain architecture, Persian architecture, indoBritish architecture, indo-Aryan architecture, Dravidian architecture, baser architecture act. , all these burdens goes on the solder of a knowledgeable and experienced guide to handle cautiously the lectures on concern architecture and sometimes guide may also explain comparatively explanation on mentioning other attractions previously visited so tourists can easily understand the major highlights of history and architecture as normally timings are between sunrise to sunset, but, if possible for a guide must conduct archeological sites at morning sunrise hours which is the best/ convenient time for all age group tourist and as well for photography/ video filming due to morning sun light time is the best time for the temperature also. Some of the archeological sites are not open for the public to visit therefore if any special tourists groups are interested to visit a prior information can be collected and further advance required permission may be availed form the superintendent of archeology may be if applicable after payment of requisite fee. As guide is overall in charge for the tour and responsible not to take in some of the restricted areas at archeological site due to part of monument are under maintenance which may be (for preservation, conservation and for restoration) time to time conducted by the special archeological survey of India expert team. As previously mentioned archeological sites into three categories and all three categories and their entry fee accordingly vary as well as the fee are in dual entry fee system that is high entry fee for foreigner and a separate entry fee for Indian citizens. If any tourists want to use camera for video filming or/ and a stand which is known as tripod as per the rule of archeological survey of India ( ASI), there is a separate fee to use this instrument and it is treated under the category of commercial filming. Therefore, archeology department charge @ 500 per day per monument, this may be briefed in advances by the guide if any tour member is carrying tripod and concerned applicable rule of ASI. 240

Facilities at site The Archeological site normally provides many facilities. A guide is responsible to explain in a small brief note to all the members very clearly about the parking space of vehicle and distance to reach monument via walk and facility rooms ( wash rooms, facilitation/ interpretation centre), ticket ( entry fee counter), an option of publication on various monuments by the archeological survey of India available on sale and if any tourists wish audio guides with a guide who is accompanying may be available may be available every world heritage site/ national heritages sites in India normally take care emergency if any and extend cooperation of first aid box, wheel chair, stretcher, if required and that is free of cost provided by the department. Recently changes done the archeological survey of India in a special gadget which is an extension of services on payment basis i.e. for Hollywood/ bollywood filming, marriage functions, may be commercial events and other academic activities and guide may explain small introduction about these. He should keep the updated knowledge and refer to the official website of ASI if there is any inquiry. Every archeological site entry is permissible either free or if any entry fee is applicable the validity of the entry fee ticket is from sunrise to sun set one time and if anybody wishes to visit twice during the same day person has to pay a new entry fee. Till so far in India there is no time limit for a monument. It is permissible to visit a particular monument and allowed to stay till sunset. A professional tour guide is responsible to explain before starting/ commencing a tour of archeological site on various aspects that may be long walk/ many stairs some of the risky balconies and underground dungeons ( floors), and it may be possible that tourists may face some insects, reptiles, or birds ( that may be Bats). So, for that precaution guide should conduct the tour giving proper time to walk and to reach close to the monument, guide should extend full co- operation giving enough time for independent walk in surroundings of the monument with best/prime location for a wide view photography which may be a memorable photo session point as specially in Japanese culture tourist are interested to take many pictures during the day tour. While a guide is conducting a tour, he has to understand the mindset of tourists as tourists are interested for an archeological site. Tourists may require some information on tourism/ archeology areas ( like: stay/ accommodation, tourist transportation, other places of interest, market, medical aid, helpline, other offices, etc., besides detailed and authentic information about heritage monuments of national and international importance. Brochures, signage’s, literature, print and electronic media, internet, mobile apps, web world, etc. are full of content on varied subjects but ultimately has their own limitations. In spite of having information through various resources, 241

everybody wants to visit his place of interest at least once in a life time (as quoted by many visiting Tajmahal). While visiting the heritage site, a tourist requires appropriate information for that purpose of a tour guide appears to be the best medium of interaction/ communication for providing information on the spot to tourists as per their interest and requirement and oriented according to the queries. Personal interaction is the best medium to disseminate information. So far as centrally protected monuments are concerned, the Guide would play a vital role in disseminating correct, tested and factual content/ information with his knowledge base and experience so that the tourists are enriched and enjoys his experience during his visit to the monument in the larger context. World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are recognized by United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). There are many places of cultural and/or natural heritage as defined by UNESCO in 1972 world heritage convention. In India, there are many world heritage sites. Major heritage sites in India India has a treasure of heritage sites. These are:-  Humayun Tomb at New Delhi Humayun Tomb is located in New Delhi.  Mahabodhi Temple Complex, Bodhgaya, Bihar Mahabodhi temple complex is located in Bodhgaya in Bihar. It is a Buddhist site.  Red Fort, Delhi Red Fort is located in Delhi. It has Deewane Aam, Deewane Khas, Charbagh ( Phool Bagh), Sawan Bhado, Museum.  Qutub Minar, Delhi Qutub Minar is in New Delhi. It was constructed by Qutub Ud din Ebak.  Champaner at Pavagarh Archeological Park in Gujarat  Group of monuments at Hampi  Group of monuments Pattadakal  Sanchi Stupas at Sanchi, Near Bhopal Sanchi Stupas are located in Sanchi. Sanchi is located near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Here, you can see Buddha indifferent postures.  Bhimbetka (Rock Shelters) near Bhopal Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka are example of development of art in ancient time. Here, you will find many rock paintings depicting hunting, scenes of Mahabharta etc.  Khajuraho Temples Khajuraho temples are known all over the world for its iconography.  Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves are located near Aurangabad.  Ellora Caves  Elephanta Caves  Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai  Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha  Jantar Mantar, Jaipur Jantar Mantar is located in Jaipur, Rajasthan.  Great Living of Chola Temple  Monuments at Mahabalipuram  Agra Fort, Agra Agra fort has its’ own importance due to its’ location and beauty.  Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh Fatehpur sikri is located near Agra in Uttar Pradesh province of India. It’s entrance gate is known as Buland Darwaja.  Tajmahal, Agra, 242

Uttar Pradesh  Rani Ki Vav, Gujrat Rani ki Vav is located in Gujrat. It is a stepwell.  Nalanda  Historic City of Ahmedabad, Gujarat Guiding at Religious site Guiding at a religious site is a very sensitive issue for a guide as well as tourists. As tourists may be Indian or foreigner and they may be from different caste or religions as well as gender. If we talk globally tour guiding across the world, it always varies the rules and regulations to visit the different religious site worldwide due to every religious site have its own rules and regulations as well as visiting hours. Tourists those who are going to visit any of the religious sites they are not fully aware of the dress code and certain items/ good which are allowed/ restricted there. It is only by the tour guide to explain certain do’s and do not’s. As well as dress code with photographic possibilities of that religious site weather may be external or internal. Many religious place are covered herewith. Gurudwara (Sikh Temples) The Literal meaning of Gurudwara is a door of teacher. If we take an example to visit any Sikh temple, it is mandatory for all the people as a pilgrim to cover head, and no one is allowed to consume tobacco/ alcohol in the temple premises and the whole body should be covered by the cloths covering up to knee and one has to leave the shoes with socks at the space given to drop and further you may join prayer hall. Visit silently takes proper photography/ photos to the areas permitted for all pilgrims and further continue towards an exit. You may visit certain another area in a Sikh temple that is gender basis for example water pool, which is created to take a holy dip before you are going to the Sikh temple. Further, residential areas which are normally offered free of cost to any caste/ religion person to stay overnight and kitchen, as well which is popular known as Langar ( common community hall) area, where it is possible to have meals/ tea which is served as Prasad or Sikh temple and pilgrims may pick and drop required utensils from a given space and before they are leaving/ dropping utensils they must have to clean utensils themselves with the proper water and washing soap provided by temple management. 243

Temple management never asked to pay any entry fee or photography charges as well as stay and food cost, it is an individual choice if they feel comfortable they may drop some money in the donation box which is available in temple premises as well as they may get receipt of the same. There is a special Prasad in the temple which is called halwa (prepared by wheat flour, sugar and oil). It is hygienic for the stomach ( if any doubt created by the international passenger or tourists). Mandir (Hindu Temples) If guide plan to take tourists to any Hindu temple, he must ensure timings to visit and certain other rules and regulations specially notified by the concerned temple authority that may be a tourists cannot enter with any leather goods ( i.e. belt, purse/ wallet/ pocket purse, wrist watch/ cap) and some temples may also ask for not to use camera or video for filming and there may be a separate queue for male and female to reach the in front of sanctum sanctorum as normal Hindu temples are closed between 1200 to 0400 noon guide may avoid these timings and guide may also keep visiting ours for Hindu temples wither at sun rise or at sun set so tourists can see the actual ceremony of hindu temple performed by the temple priest which may be lightening of the temple area, oil lamp ceremony with varieties of 56 bhog with special dress worn by the temple priest ( Pujari) i.e. Kurta and Dhoti and different types of fore head decorated with special teekas and performance of arti can be witnessed within a limited time further followed by visit of various other galleries open to visit and see either various gods goddesses with framed photographs/ prayer halls, and it may be possible to meditate for some time and understand the importance of OM and Yoga/ meditation for healthy body and mind. Guiding at Religious site During the visit of temple guide may cover various Hindu philosophies that may be char ashram vyavstha (four stages of life) which is brahmacharya, grahsthya, vanprastha and sanyas followed by Niravana. All doctrines of these four stages may be briefed how India accepted these stages of life and further guide may explain the importance of purushtartha- Dharma, artha, kam, mokchha and to get nirvana. A small lecture by the guide can be delivered on another aspect of Hindu philosophy how Ganga/ Geeta/ Gaya (Cow) are very holy for every Hindu giving/ mentioning the religious sites of India that may be Hardwar, Allahabad, 244

Varanasi, where one can see live performance of Hindu family rituals which is between birth to death. Jain Temple Jain Temples, if we talk any important Jain temple where temples are open between sunrise to sunset and the religious Jain is divided into two branches Digambar and Shwetambar. Guide may explain the history and background of this religion when it was commenced and till not what are the principles of present followers which any of the tourists can witness during the visit of certain temples for example in this religions people do not pluck and offer any flower to the deity/ oil lamps which are offered to the deity normally covered all the side with the glasses and top by thick iron net so no insect can reach to the flames of Deepak/ in these temple ceremonies followers normally offering almond, clove, yellow rice ( normal rice with turmeric or sandal powder) and white coconut to the deity even now in India some of the Digamber branch followers do not wear any cloth at all during all seasons of the year that is winter, monsoon, summer and spring. Followers they believed the ‘sky’ and ‘weathers’ are their natural clothing and all Jain religion followers never eat anything which grows under the soil that is any kind of root (for example ginger, carrot, radish, potatoes, onion, garlic etc.). Their timings for meals are also very strict from sunrise to sunset. The Jain monks never cut their hairs, they always ask their followers to go plucking of hires which are as bearded or top of the head. They never wear any shoes or slipper as they believe hard sole of the shoes or slipper may kill insects. They never travel by vehicle. They never accept any money, jewelery from devotees and they sleep on floor never on any bed or furniture and before they do sweeping by the bunch of peacock feathers to protect small insects. Jain monks in their whole life they travel by walk (never use any private vehicle/ public transport). They follow the principle of celibacy ( Brihmacharya). As mentioned previous the first branch digambar and their present followers never wear any cloths but, in the second branch which is Swetamber followers can be male/ female and they wear their whole body by white sheet of clothes (not cut and stitched). Swatamber monks bear white cloth mouth to restrict any insect to enter inside the mouth. And both genders they also follow principles of celibacy and remain in Jain Temples only and do all the routine temple ceremonies. If we study 245

population of Jain religions in India, is low in numbers but, in the past their position was in the cast system under the vaishya varna they were responsible for all trade and commerce activity for the society majorly they were into the business of jewelry and textile. Jain religion is based on the principle of Ahimsha. Church/ Christianity A trained guide is responsible to study before taking on tour to any church, because in India we have a population of Christians religions majorly they are found in in Goa, Pondicherry, and they are scattered in all over India and they do the prayer of saint Jesus Christ as their principle god and they normally follow all the principles of Christianity during the visit of any church it is observed that there is no such any restriction of any dress code/ shoe slipper and camera/ video filming which gives very high comfort to the domestic and international tourists before entering into a church. It is always mandatory to maintain silence and listen the lectures normally delivered in English by the concern father of the church. Special prayers of week days are on Sunday. Whole world celebrate 25th December is an auspicious day of Christians religions that is charismas days all over the world followers they reach to the church with new dress and carry cake/ pastry for celebration of mid night festival share among the family friends. Main festivals of Christians are Easter, Good Friday and Charismas. Parsi Parsis migrated from Iran to Sindh and Gujarat during 8 to 10th century. During the Arab conquest, major religion was Zoroastrians. During this time many Iranian migrated to India. These are known as Parsi. Parsi religion people pray fire. There is a temple in Gujarat known as Parsi fire temple. They have made a remarkable contribution in the history and development of India. 246

14.3 SUMMARY  Guiding at a religious site is a very sensitive issue for a guide as well as tourists. As tourists may be Indian or foreigner and they may be from different caste or religions as well as gender. If we talk globally tour guiding across the world, it always varies the rules and regulations to visit the different religious site worldwide due to every religious site have its own rules and regulations as well as visiting hours. Tourists those who are going to visit any of the religious sites they are not fully aware of the dress code and certain items/ good which are allowed/ restricted there. It is only by the tour guide to explain certain do’s and do not’s. 14.4 KEYWORDS  Group Tour - A prearranged, prepaid travel program for a group usually including transportation, accommodation.  Archeo-tourism is tourism in which we may develop a kind of cultural tourism which helps to preserve archeological places and promote public interest in archeological sites. 14.5 LEARNING ACTIVITY 1. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 13.4 UNIT END QUESTIONS A. Descriptive Questions 247

Short Questions 1. What are the guidelines for guiding at archaeological sites ? 2. What are the guidelines for guiding at religious places ? 3. Write your views about the archaeotourism in India? 4. Explain your opinion about the prospect of religious tourism 5 .Elaborate your views about sensitivity of religious tourism in India ? Long Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Answers 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- 13.5 REFERENCES 14 References book Websites  https://www.swisscontact.org/_Resources/Persistent/2/1/c/f/21cfcb269586d51c4003a 3cde9feded23f309cc6/Participant_Guide_Mod_1_Print_Version.pdf 248