What Is a Tour Guide?

The tour guides are mainly divided into Chinese tour guides and foreign language tour guides. Its main work is to guide tourists to experience the beauty of landscapes, solve possible emergencies during the trip, and provide tourists with assistance in food, accommodation, and travel.

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(1) According to the business scope, the tour guides are divided into overseas tour guides, full-time tour guides, local guides, and scenic guides

Overseas leader refers to the staff appointed by a travel agency approved by the national tourism administrative department to operate outbound tourism business, and has the full authority to lead the group to engage in tourism activities on behalf of the travel agency.

A tour guide (referred to as a tour guide ) is a staff member who is appointed by a tour operator to act as a representative of the tour agency and implements a reception plan with the cooperation of the tour guide and local guides to provide tour guides with the tour guide. Here, a group agency or group travel agency refers to a travel agency that accepts reservations from tourist groups (or persons) or overseas travel agencies, formulates and issues reception plans, and can provide guide services throughout the tour. The leader here refers to the staff appointed by the overseas travel agency to lead the tour group to engage in tourism activities on behalf of the travel agency.

Local escort guides (referred to as local escorts ) refer to the staff appointed by the host travel agency to implement the host plan on behalf of the host agency and provide local tour activities (arrangements, explanations, translations, etc.) for tour groups. The reception agency or reception travel agency here refers to a travel agency that accepts the delegation of a group agency and appoints a local accompanying guide according to the reception plan to organize and arrange tours (persons) to visit and other activities in the local area.

Tourist guides in scenic spots are also referred to as interpreters, who refer to the staff who guide tourists at tourist attractions such as museums and nature reserves.

(2) According to occupational nature, tour guides are divided into full-time tour guides and part-time tour guides

Full-time tour guides refer to tour guides whose main occupation is tour guide work for a certain period of time . At present, such tour guides are generally official staff of travel agencies, and they are the main body of the current tour guide team in China.

Part-time tour guides, also known as amateur tour guides, refer to those who do not take tour guides as their main occupation, but use guides in their spare time. At present, there are two types of such staff: one is a part-time tour guide who has obtained a national tour guide qualification unified exam and obtained a tour guide permit; the other is a person with a specific language and language ability who is hired by a travel agency to obtain a temporary tour guide permit and temporarily engaged Personnel for guided activities.

(3) According to the language used by the tour guide, the tour guides are divided into Chinese tour guides and foreign language tour guides.

Chinese tour guides are those who can use Mandarin, local dialect or minority languages to engage in tour guide business. At present, the main service targets of such guides are Chinese citizens in domestic tourism and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots in inbound tourism.

Foreign language tour guides are people who can use foreign languages to conduct tour guides. At present, the main service targets of such tour guides are foreign tourists entering China and Chinese citizens traveling abroad.

(IV) According to the technical level, the tour guides are divided into junior tour guides, intermediate tour guides, senior tour guides and special tour guides.

Junior tour guides : One year after obtaining the tour guide's qualification certificate, they will be evaluated for skills, performance and qualifications, and those who pass will automatically become junior tour guides.

Intermediate tour guides: Obtained the qualification of junior tour guides for more than two years. The performance is obvious. Those who pass the assessment and examination are promoted to intermediate tour guides. They are the backbone of the travel agency business.

Senior tour guides: Obtained intermediate tour guide qualifications for more than four years, with outstanding performance and high level, which has a certain impact on domestic and foreign counterparts and travel agents. Those who pass the assessment and pass the examination are promoted to senior tour guides.

Special tour guides: obtained advanced tour guide qualifications for more than five years, with outstanding performance, outstanding contributions, high-level scientific research results, and greater influence in domestic and foreign counterparts and travel agents. Those who pass the assessment are promoted to special tour guides.

According to the current development of China's tourism industry and the service targets of tour guides, the basic responsibilities of tour guides can be summarized as the following five points:

(1) Arranging and organizing tourists' visits and excursions in accordance with the contract or agreement signed between the travel agency and tourists in accordance with the reception plan;

(2) Responsible for tourist guides, explanations, and introduction of Chinese (local) culture and tourism resources;

(3) Cooperating and urging relevant units to arrange tourists' transportation, accommodation, etc. to protect the personal and property safety of tourists;

(4) Patiently answer tourists' inquiries and assist in handling problems encountered during the journey;

(5) Reflecting the opinions and requirements of tourists and assisting in arranging meetings and talks between tourists.

The standard of good quality of tour guides is to become ideal, moral, cultural, and disciplined socialist guides. Its quality requirements can basically be summarized into six aspects: ideological quality, moral quality, knowledge quality, skill quality, psychological quality and physical quality.

From January 1, 2018, the "Administrative Measures for Tour Guides" will be officially implemented, and tour guides shall not practice illegal activities such as changing itineraries, tricking or forcing consumption.

The measures are clear. Tourist guides must not arrange for tourists to visit or participate in projects or activities involving pornography, gambling, drugs and other violations of Chinese laws and regulations and social morality during the practice process; unauthorized changes to travel itineraries or refusal to perform tourism contracts; Separate payment for travel items; by concealing facts, providing false information, etc., to trick tourists into participating in shopping activities or paying for travel items against their true will; by beating, abandoning, restricting freedom of movement, intimidation, insults, cursing, etc. Forcing or disguised tourists to participate in shopping activities, additional payment and other consumption items; to obtain shopping malls, additional payment tourism items and other related business operators in the name of rebates, commissions, captive fees or incentive fees and other improper benefits such as 11 acts.

At the same time, the measures put forward specific requirements for daily practice activities of tour guides, stipulating that tour guides should carry electronic tour guide badges, wear tour guide identification marks, and start related application software for tour guide practice. Tourists have the right to require the tour guide to display an electronic tour guide badge and guide identification. ^[3]

Reporter: Why do we need to reform the tour guide system in the current situation? What are the goals of this reform?

Person in charge: Currently, there are more than 800,000 licensed tour guides nationwide, but only 200,000 tour guides have signed labor contracts with travel agencies. Most social tour guides are de facto "freelance practitioners". Mandarin tour guides account for about 90%, and other small-language tour guides are in short supply. Among the licensed tour guides, female guides account for about 78%, and the ratio of men and women is imbalanced. Tour guide services are difficult to meet the consumer's strong and professional needs.

Judging from the main contradictions of the current tour guide system, the construction of the tour guide system lags behind the needs of the rapid development of the tourism industry, and the supply of tour guide services is not compatible with the ever-increasing market demand; the closed management of tour guides is not compatible with open markets and integrated industries. ; There are problems such as the structural contradiction of tour guide services, policy barriers to tour guide circulation, and inadequate tour guide support systems.

In terms of goals, promote the transformation of tour guides from administrative, non-mobile, closed management to rule of law, market-oriented management, and build a four-in-one management system of "access, supervision, guarantee, reward and punishment" to make the guide management system more scientific and efficient. The supervision, evaluation, flow, and incentive mechanism of tour guides are more complete, creating a win-win situation for consumers, tour guides, and the market, so that tour guides become staunch defenders of the tourism market order, become active areas of tourism industry innovation and entrepreneurship, and become popular for the people. An important part of rest assured, comfortable and happy.

Reporter: What are the key tasks of the tour guide system reform?

Responsible person: The key tasks of the tour guide system reform include reforming the examination and training registration system, reforming the tour guide practice system, improving the practice guarantee system, improving the after-event supervision system, establishing a sound tour guide association organization, and innovating the guide incentive mechanism.

Reporter: Just now you mentioned that guide protection is one of the key tasks. What measures will be taken by the reform for the construction of the guide's security system?

Responsible person: The construction of the guide's support system is a systematic project, and there will be specific measures for each different support area.

For example, this reform will improve the guide's insurance protection system. Carry out supervision and inspection of labor rights protection of tour guides, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of tour guides. Encourage qualified places to take part in financial subsidies, social contributions, and guides' contributions to help guides solve social insurance and insurance insurance costs. Encourage competent and responsible companies to establish guides' trust funds, guides' disability funds, etc. . Explore a pilot tour guide free practice liability insurance system and encourage free practice guides to take out insurance and practice comprehensive insurance.

Regarding the personal safety protection of tour guides, the National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Transport jointly promoted the implementation of the Notice on Regulating Tourist Guides for Tourist Guides jointly issued by the National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Transport, which require that new road transportation markets be introduced from August 1, 2016. Folding seats for operating buses shall not be provided at any position in the compartment. Folding seats of operating buses shall not be used. Strengthen coordination with the public security department, promote severe punishment of insults, beatings, and other violations of the guide's personal safety in accordance with the law, and ensure the safe practice of tour guides. Urge travel agencies and other employers to arrange clean, hygienic and safe accompany rooms and catering for tour guides; encourage locals and enterprises to equip tour guides with uniform tooling that reflects the image of the destination and the corporate image, so that tour guides can practice decently.

Regarding the incentive of tour guides, the reform will strengthen the guide's talent team construction, improve the guide's rating system, build a star tour guide service brand, establish a positive model of tour guides, etc., reform the tour guide incentive mechanism, and enhance the sense of professional belonging and honor of tour guides.

Reporter: You mentioned the reform of the tour guide association. What action will be taken in this regard?

Responsible person: The reform of the tour guide association organization will promote the establishment of a tour guide industry organization system with a reasonable system, complete functions, effective management, and standard behavior. The tour guide industry organization will play a role in contacting the government, serving members, and promoting industry self-discipline. Modern social organization.

The contents of the reform include: promoting the construction of the tour guide industry organization system at the provincial and municipal levels according to law; giving full play to the self-discipline role of the tour guide industry organization, requiring all tour guides to join the tour guide industry organization, and effectively turning the industry organization into a "tourist home" to support the tour industry Organize sustainable development, and promote and guide the independent operation and orderly development of industry associations in accordance with the direction of socialization and marketization reform; strengthen the supervision and inspection of the tour guide industry organizations, and severely investigate and deal with violations of the guide registration and the guide industry in violation of relevant laws and regulations organization.

Reporter: Since the launch of the pilot freelance practice pilot program, it has aroused many concerns. During this period, the industry also had some doubts and some issues were representative. For example, what kind of agency can carry out free practice of online or offline tour guides? Where does the benefit of tour guides from free practice come from? How can the evaluation of the pilot freelance pilot work be evaluated?

Responsible person: Regarding the first question, which involves the qualification of the pilot operation, we should consider it from two perspectives, online and offline.

To develop a free practice service for online tour guides, an enterprise legal person who has a tour guide service network reservation platform and is registered with the National Tourism Administration to engage in free tour guide practice services must have the corresponding conditions and capacity requirements stipulated in the pilot measures.

The free practice of offline tour guides is conducted by offline tourism agencies such as tourism consulting centers, tourism distribution centers, and A-level scenic tourist centers that have been approved by the pilot tourism authorities in the pilot areas of offline tour guide free practice areas determined by the National Tourism Administration. Institutions that provide offline practice for offline tour guides shall be filed with the National Tourism Administration by the provincial tourism authority.

Regarding the source of income from the free practice of tour guides, it mainly comes from the guide service fees and voluntary tips paid by consumers. Pilot institutions can also establish a reasonable reward and punishment mechanism according to their own conditions. Evaluation, additional subsidies to guides who carry out free practice on this platform.

Regarding the evaluation of the pilot work of the free practice of tourist guides, the National Tourism Administration has formulated the "Evaluation Plan of the Free Work of Pilot Free Guides" and initiated the dynamic evaluation of the pilot situation by third-party agencies in order to summarize and refine the results that can be replicated and promoted. Existing problems and work comments and suggestions for further promotion.

Reporter: Over the years, the industry has disputed that some provinces and cities banned foreign tour guides from practising in this region. Will this approach be changed in the reform?

Person in charge: Establishing regional barriers for the practice of tour guides is a wrong practice in some provinces and cities. This reform will resolutely remove the barriers to the practice of tour guides in different places, remove obstacles to the practice of tour guides illegally set up in various places, and truly put the management right of tour guide selection and employment back to the market. Through market regulation and independent selection of enterprises, guide resources will be made available in different regions at different times Proper allocation will promote more openness of tour guide flow and more market-oriented allocation of tour guide resources. ^[4]