Tour guide safety, risk management and response

Tour guides play an important part in tourism activities as they do a number of duties that include navigating through various destinations as well as provide safety and protection during a tour. Good tour guides explain many aspects of the area we are exploring and supply us with useful insights on the local culture of the place we are visiting, which in turn enriches our experience that should last a lifetime. The best tour guides will also assist us through some very difficult times in our journey as we continue our travels and help us not miss out on any important sites.

I personally find myself so grateful each and every time I am able to travel and have a great tour guide by my side. I usually enjoy tours explicitly planned by guides who go out of their way to make sure our stay is not only unforgettable but also safe. I’m a stickler for safety and while I consider myself to be quite adventurous, I am also one very cautious person who puts a premium on itineraries that do not involve unnecessary risk.

While this gives me the best of both worlds (adventure and safety), I often ask tour guides, especially the most hospitable kind, if they ever encounter undesirable people in their tours. Every time I ask this question, it almost always feels like they rarely ever get asked about this side of their job but are quick to point out their experiences.

In the Philippines most of all, our tour guides often tell me how much they persevere despite some awful treatment and do so with a smile. The resilience of our people is quite remarkable when it comes to rising above such circumstances for in their minds, their priorities for the day are of utmost importance as what they earn feeds the family. In other words, regardless of whatever crass remarks or underhanded comments, they smile and turn a blind eye and focus on their take home pay for the day.

While it’s good to know that they can count on the DOT to express their concerns, personally I also think that it would be a great help for our tourism industry to additionally focus on the kind of treatment and regard our tourism ambassadors are expected to receive in return.

Tour guides are also perceived as first responders. In their hands lie not only our personal enjoyment but also the task to ensure we are far from danger, as we trust in their ability to solve problems and roll with the punches when unplanned circumstances occur. Our tourism ambassadors go through briefings and trainings and one can only imagine the amount of tolerance a guide must have to manage unruly visitors in order to avoid any danger as guests in specific tourist attractions. If you really think about it, even rude guests are asked to leave when they misbehave and how to respond to them is in itself a very serious matter.

Our tour guides are the very first enforcers of safety measures in our travels as they must be up to date and able to implement the latest health and safety guidelines while being aware of the ever changing conditions in the area. Our tourism ambassadors have the power to drive businesses (now more than ever), which make them managers in their own right. In order for us therefore to give them the dignity they deserve, our Filipino hospitality, famous as it may be, must be reciprocated with the same respect that needs to be championed by the tourism industry authorities as it also incorporates the necessary development of soft skills that empower them to achieve the highest level of respect in their field, at the same time taking into earnest consideration the way they are treated.

This is how we come full circle in terms of inclusivity, as frontliners such as our tourism ambassadors would certainly welcome a reciprocal relationship between them and our guests.

So for those who often travel especially around the country, always remember that our tour guides connect with guests not only in terms of making our journey fun and exciting, but also mitigating any potential pitfalls that may arise along the way which, in itself, takes a lot of focus and effort, especially when they are confronted by difficult people.

Making an effort to let tourists understand that hospitality is not only a business but also a relationship that works both ways is a matter that is often crucial for both the skilled and unskilled employable Filipinos who work in this sector as they help determine the long-term success of the tourism industry in our country.