Problems that Tour Guides Often Encounter and Their Workable Solutions

1. What are the essential contents of a welcoming speech?

It’s of vital importance for a tour guide to make a favorable first impression on the tourists by delivering a welcoming speech successfully. For a good welcoming speech tends to play a great role in putting the tourists in a good mood and giving the day a pleasant beginning. A welcoming speech usually includes:

1) Extending a warm welcome to the tourists on behalf of the travel service;

2) Introducing yourself and the driver (and the national guide, if any);

3) Describing briefly the itineraries in Beijing;

4) Telling the tourists that you will try to make their stay in Beijing a pleasant one;

5) Telling the tourists briefly about the city, its scenic spots and the hotel the tourists are going to stay in;

6) Wishing them a pleasant and memorable experience.

2. What are the essential contents of a farewell speech?

An impressive farewell speech is very important in deepening the feeling on both sides and tourists’ impressions and in promoting a friendly atmosphere.
A tour guide should accomplish this task conscientiously, in a sincere mood and with strong sentiments.

A farewell speech entails:

1) Looking back on the sightseeing activities in the past few days;

2) Giving thanks to the tourists for their support and cooperation, expressing friendship and telling them that having been their guide was a memorable experience:

3) Taking the opportunity to express an apology again for anything to their dissatisfaction during their stay in Beijing and asking them for their opinions and suggestions that will help improve the work in future;

4) Wishing the tourists a pleasant journey for the next leg of their tour. If the tourists are about to leave China, wish them bon voyage and convey best regards to their families and relatives;

5) Telling them that they are welcome to come to China again and looking forward to a happy reunion.

3. What preparations should a tour guide make before taking a tour?

The preparations usually include:

1) Read carefully the schedule, get to know about the group, including their occupations, ages, sexes and specific demands and work out the most appropriate plan for sightseeing;

2) Remember the group code, be familiar with the tourist routes, and confirm the means of transportation and plane or train tickets. The tickets for an outbound group need reconfirmation;
Contact the driver to make sure that the coach is available when needed;

3) Bring along all necessary items, including a flag or the badge, a schedule for the tour, different kinds of admission tickets and any meal or entertainment vouchers as well as tourist maps for the use of the tourists.

If there should be some unfamiliar scenic areas, the tour guide should get to know the exact routes, and the opening hour of each scenic spot. One should be well prepared with professional knowledge for a special interest tourist group.

4. What must be done to avoid missing a plane?

1) For a domestic flight, the tour guide should check the date, flight number and the departure time on the ticket. For an international flight, reconfirmation is needed apart from checking the above-mentioned items;

2) If the plane tickets are not available before taking the tour, stay in touch with the travel service before, during and after the sightseeing for further information. The tour guide must find out if there is any change of the flight number and time as compared to the original schedule;

3) Sufficient time should be allowed for going to the airport, railway station, wharf, etc.
For domestic flights, the group should arrive at the airport 90 minutes in advance while for international flights, 120 minutes is needed before the plane takes off.
The activities before going to the airport should be well arranged. There should be no shopping in downtown area, and the tourists should not be left on their own, for they may get lost or miss their plane.

5. What ought a tour guide to do in case of checked baggage losses? (inbound flight)

The airlines should bear the whole responsibility in this case. The tour guide, however is obligated to do as follows;

1) Bring the tourist who has lost the baggage to the Lost and Found Department and fill out the claims form for lost articles. The tourist produces his plane ticket, boarding pass and baggage claim ticket state the departure airport, pieces of baggage and special markings on it, if any;

2) Inform the claims area of the name of the hotel the tourist is going to stay, its telephone number, the tourist’s name and his room number (if already known) in that hotel as well as the office of the travel service so that the tourist can be notified if the lost baggage is found;

3) Note down the telephone number of the claims area, names of contact persons and the office address and telephone number of the airlines.

4) Check frequently during the trip. In case the baggage cannot be found, the tour guide should help the tourist purchase daily necessities;

5) If the baggage is not yet found shortly before leaving Beijing, the tour guide should help inform the airlines of the name of the travel service, the entire travel route and the names of the hotels the group is likely to stay so that the lost baggage can be transported to the most appropriate place when it is found;

6) If the baggage does get lost, the tourist can claim for compensation from the airlines.

6. What ought a tour guide to do in case of checked baggage losses during the trip in China?

If the tourist’s baggage gets lost within China’s territory, the tour guide should find out clues that may help for it recovery.

1) The porter in the hotel may have placed the baggage on the wrong floor or in the wrong room. The baggage may have been confused with those of another tour group Once you realize a piece is lost, it is necessary to look for the baggage immediately, and the lost baggage, when found, should be sent to the tourist’s room;

2) If the baggage is lost on the way to or from the airport, the tour guide should contact the travel service for assistance. It’s the duty of the baggage sections of both the hotel and the travel service to look for the lost baggage; When found, the baggage should be handed to the tourist promptly.

3) Try to console the tourist who has lost the baggage and help him or her ease the difficulties caused by the loss;

4) If the baggage eventually cannot be found, the manager of the travel service (if necessary), and the tour guide should explain to the tourist what may have happened, offer apologies and help him or her to claim for compensation in accordance with the international practice.
Of course, it’s most important to ensure the safety of baggage. The tour guide must pay attention to the handling and checking of the baggage each time to avoid any lose.

7. What should a tour guide do to prevent tourists from getting lost during sightseeing?

1) The tour guide should inform the tourists of their daily activities, the scenic spots they are going to visit, places for meals and the appropriate time of stay at each place;

2) Each time the tourists arrive at a scenic spot, the tour guide should make sure that they know the route, stress the exact time of stay at the place and inform them of the coach number and the place where their coach is parked;

3) The description of the scenic spot should be vivid and interesting enough to attract the tourists. They should be allowed the time to take pictures and ask questions;

4) During the trip, attention must be paid to the whole group, especially to the aged and the handicapped. They should be taken special care of;

5) The tour guide should coordinate with the tour escort and the national guide, raise the flag or group sign and check the number of people from time to time to make sure no one is missing.

8. What should be done if a tourist does get lost during sightseeing?

1) The tour guide should try to look for him in the nearby area together with the national guide or the tour escort;

2) As the tour guide’s major task is to be with the tour group and continue with their sightseeing, the national guide or the tour escort should continue to look for the lost tourist and ask the employees in the area for help;
The can make an announcement over the PA system, or alert the gatekeepers at the entrance/exit and tell them what to do when the lost tourist is found.

3) The tour guide should call the hotel to see if the lost tourist has returned on his or her own;

4) If the tourist is still missing after all these efforts, the tour guide should report the accident to the travel service, and ask the local police station for help if necessary;

5) When the lost tourist is found, the tour guide should learn about the cause. Consoling is needed to ease the mind of the tourist.
The tour guide should apologize if the tourist gets lost through his negligence. A written statement of apology should be made, if necessary.

9. What must be done in case of traffic accidents involving tourists in the course of sightseeing?

In case a traffic accident happens, the tour guide must:

1) Make the injured as comfortable as possible and call for an ambulance or have someone else do it immediately. The tour guide should have at least the tour escort or the national guide accompany the injured to a nearby hospital;

2) Keep the scene of the accident intact before the police arrive;

3) Report the accident promptly to the transportation and public security departments and the office of the travel service for instructions as how to handle the accident. The telephone number for traffic accidents is 122. Another coach should be dispatched to take the other tourists back to the hotel or continue their sightseeing;

4) Try to keep the other tourists calm so that the traffic accident may not lost their interest in their subsequent visits or sightseeing;

5) Minimize the adverse effect of the accident;

6) File a written report immediately. It should be a truthful and detailed report on the cause of the accident, how it was handled and the result. It is advisable to make the report jointly with the tour escort and eye-witnesses, if they are available.

10. What should a tour guide do when a tourist is seriously ill?

1) The tourist should be made as comfortable as possible if he becomes ill during sightseeing. If he has medicine with him, he can take it himself or ask his relatives or friends for help. If necessary, the tour guide may call for an ambulance or hail a taxi or any car to take him to the nearest hospital.
The sick should be accompanied by his relatives, the tour escort or another tourist assigned by the tour escort;

2) If the tourist gets sick in the hotel, the tour guide should notify the relevant department in the hotel for immediate treatment, or the sick tourist should be sent to a hospital;

3) While the sick tourist is being taken to a hospital, the tour guide should ask the travel service promptly for help.
During emergency treatment, the relatives or the tour escort or other tourists should be on the scene. In case a surgery is needed, such an operation should be approved by his traveling partner or emergency contact person. They should sign for the surgery.

4) If the sick tourist is in critical condition and is traveling alone, the tour guide should ask the tour escort to contact his embassy or consulate. They will also have to notify his family, relatives or emergency contact person, asking them to come to China immediately. If his relatives cannot be found, follow the written advice of the embassy or consulate;

5) If the sick tourist turns for the better, but still needs to be hospitalized and is unable to attend any activities, the tour guide should go to hospital to visit him and help handle his visa matters such as changing the group visa to and individual one or help get an extended visa. The tour guide should also help with the formalities for being discharged from hospital, and arrange for a return flight ticket;

6) All the expenses are to be covered by the tourist.

11. What should a tour guide do when a tourist dies of illness?

1) When a tourist dies of illness, the travel service must notify his embassy or consulate in China promptly, and handle his remains in compliance with the written instruction of his family, relatives, the embassy or consulate;

2) The tour guide should help to acquire all the necessary papers, such as “certificat6e of Death of Illness”, “Report on Emergency Treatment”, “Certificate of Death Diagnosis”, “Notarial Certificate” and “Permit for Outbound Remains or Ashes”;

3) The tour guide should, with a witness present such as the tour escort or the national guide, check them, hand them to his family or relatives or ask the tour escort to transfer them. Several copies should be made and kept by both sides;

4) The tour guide should help arrange for compensations;

5) All the expenses thus incurred are to be covered by the family of the deceased.
If the tourist dies from negligence of safety or a traffic accident or by his own hand, all the arrangements thus necessitated should be made in the presence of the tour escort, his family, relatives or representatives of the tour group and personnel from his embassy in China. The head of the travel service and relevant personnel should also be present.
The tour guide should attend to every detail of the arrangements to make sure that the matter is handled properly.

12. What ought a tour guide to do if a foreign tourist loses his passport during his stay in China?

1) A document indicating the loss of his passport from the local travel service is needed;

2) The tourist who loses his passport is to report the loss to the local authorized Public Security Bureau with the supporting documents from the travel service;

3) The tourist goes to the embassy or the local consulate of his country in China to apply for a new passport with the supporting documents from the local authorized Public Security Bureau;

4) Finally, the tourist goes to the local authorized Public Security Bureau again to apply for a visa when a new passport is issued.

13. What ought a tour guide to do if an overseas Chinese loses his passport?

1) A document from the travel service is needed;

2) The tourist who loses his passport is to report the loss to the local authorized Public Security Bureau with the supporting documents from the travel service and applies for a new passport;

3) The tourist is to attend to the process of and inbound visa at his embassy or consulate in China.