300+ [UPDATED] Tour Guide Interview Questions

1. What Tour Guide Must Know?

A tour guide should know following things before he becomes professional:

• Be aware of the geological condition about the place of the tour
• Be aware about the local accommodation and restaurant facility
• Knowledge about the history about the place
• Local hospital and Police station address for any emergency
• Likes and dislikes of the tourist
• Knowing more than one language including local language would be beneficial

2. What Other Tasks Can A Tour Guide Do Other Than His Regular Work?

• Tour guide can follow up with the guests
• Can do a complete survey of the place
• Make photo CDs for guests

3. Explain What Are The Physical Requirements Of A Tour Guide?

• Must be comfortable working long hours outside
• Must be comfortable standing and walking for long hours
• Must be comfortable with a height

4. What All Things Does A Tour Guide Should Carry With Him?

Depending on the site tour guide must carry the accessories:

• Torch
• Compass
• Compact first aid box
• Map
• A knife or handy weapon ( Safari Park)

5. What Are The Benefits Of Hiring Tour Guide?

The benefits of hiring tour guide is:

• You have an immediate access to those things that you are not aware of otherwise
• You will learn more about culture in-depth from someone on the inside
• You will have little more security and companionship
• Flexibility to change your travel plan and to set up priority

6. When Tourist Should Hire A Private Travel Guide?

A private travel guide can be hired for following conditions:

• When you have very little time and more places to cover
• When you are visiting a chaotic or relatively dangerous location
• Private tour guide knows the tricks to take the tourist out from a crowded place and take them to their destinations
• When language and communication becomes a barrier, tour guides are very useful
• When you don’t know which is the best place for dining that is hygienic and safe
• When you want to get rid of the hassle of ticket booking, checking operation hours, timing reservations, etc.
• During a long stay at any place, private guide can help you to cut down your living cost
• During an adventure trip, like visiting safari park, you need a private tour guide to keep your life safe from unexpected incidents.
• When access to certain religious places is not allowed for foreigner’s, tour guide can negotiate with the locals or administrator

7. What Is The Term Used To Refer Museum Guide?

A museum guide is often referred as docent especially in U.S.A; they provide specialized knowledge, anecdote and commentary about the exhibitions to the visitors.

8. Mention What Are Benefits And Opportunity For Cruise Ship Guide?

The benefits for cruise ship are immense:

• You will have an experience travelling on the ocean
• You will meet different people and make contact for a long time
• It will give an opportunity to explore other culture, people, traditions, lifestyles, etc.
• You will always live a luxurious lifestyle on board
• You will be paid for travelling

9. As A Tour Guide What Are The Career Options?

As a tour guide, you can work locally showing tourist city attractions or he can work as an international guide traveling to foreign destinations.  In order to do that you have to take training for domestic, as well as foreign travelling.

10. Explain How Can You Improve Tour Guide Skills?

You can improve tour guide skills by:

Know your audience:
You must know your tourist, particularly when you want to influence specific group of people. You should know what age people you are addressing, where do they come from, what is the reason selecting particular destination and so on

Manage the group:
Manage tourist group properly, like they can see and hear correctly what you say, assure passengers a safe passage, be ready to handle unexpected medical situation and select comfortable and safe locations for stops

Prepare the tour dynamics:
Make tour dynamic by including sports, games, demonstrations or even cooking in the wild

Analyze your tour:
Keep tourist engaged and make them feel active. It should not be a long road trip in a deserted land, keep talking to the tourist at regular interval even you can tell them historical stories and myth related to that.  Carry extra binoculars and pass it to passengers to have a better view, this will leave an impact on tourist.

Make smooth transitions:
At the end of the tour make a self-evaluation and figure it out whether you have carried out the tour the way you wanted and what are the area for improvisation.  You can also rotate a feedback form to your tourist at the end of the tour.

11. What Are The Different Categories Of Tourist A Tour Guide Frequently Come Across?

The different categories for tourist are:

• Sports, recreation and leisure
• Eco-tourist
• Educational
• Cultural
• Explore their special interest or hobbies

12. Mention What Is The Five Characteristics Of Great Tour Guide?

The five characteristics of an excellent tour guide is:

• Speak loudly and clearly
• Helps tourist learn
• Relays accurate information
• Continues to learn and improve
• Act professionally

13. Explain What Is The Approach A Tour Guide Should Go For To Make His Tour Standout?

To stand out his tour, tour guide must do following things:

Be a naturalist:
Point out some significant natural landmark during your tour, natural habitat, and landscapes are always the tourist attraction.

Speak about conservation:
Tell them some information about how local have conserved this place and how much it is important for them. Give some direction of what to do and what not to do while tour like at some place taking pictures or touching of architectural statues is not allowed.

Use interesting language or few words:
Learn some basic words or language of the tourist you are guiding, it will help them to mix with you, and they will take interest in what you say.

Intriguing opening:
Always ask tourist about their interest and why they choose the place to visit, etc.

Non-verbal communication:
Your body language should be positive and use hand gestures while explaining them, smile and make eye contact. It will give them a sense of reliability and trust on you.

14. What Are The Challenges You Face While Handling Tourist?

The challenges that tourist has to face is:

• Asking tourist not to do something repeatedly that is prohibited in that area like taking photographs
• Check everything in the end as there is no negative impact
• Telling kids not to do certain things like visiting a zoo not to go close to animals or not to feed them
•  Following the guidelines, like not throwing litter anywhere, as it sometimes costs you few dollars

15. What Should A Tour Guide Do Before The Tour?

• Plan in advance
• Provide necessary information to tourist before you start tour ( Health & Safety)
• Carry appropriate equipment
• Plan the structure of your tour