A good minimum rate of pay that's adhered to by all, you'll find Guides sharing their thoughts and planning on the way to solve the complaints.

It is interesting to notice that one among the direst topics isn't getting much press. Are local Guides becoming obsolete? i'm not talking about the old debate of Tour Managers doing the work of an area Guide. i'm talking about something which will have a way greater impact on the Guiding landscape. Electronic Guides. Today's city guide apps for smartphones are gaining in popularity as smartphone usage grows. they're cheaper than a live guide . They pause once we want to require a photograph . they're going to endlessly repeat themselves if we didn't hear the commentary over the horns of traffic. they're never overbooked and are available exactly when the clients want the knowledge .

Imagine if you, as a Guide, had to compete with someone who had those characteristics. it's obvious that we might be seen as inferior. But since this competitor may be a collection of computer programs, we maintain the one key advantage, we are alive. Nothing can beat a live, entertaining, knowledgeable, professional local Guide showing you around his or her beloved city. Or can it?

Today's electronic city guides are GPS based and automatically tell you all about your current location. they allow you to ascertain and save a map of your tour, add photos, travel videos and notes. All of this will then be immediately shared with friends via social media. you'll also plan out your own customized tour based upon your fitness level, specific dates, and interests or download one among the growing number of quality tours on to your iPad. If you've got an issue that's not a part of your electronic tour, you'll pause it, then Google your question. does one want recommendations on which cafe within the square has the simplest cappuccino? in fact you'll ask your live guide . Otherwise a web cafe search will yield ratings with comments left by your fellow travelers. Did I mention that such an enquiry can also yield coupons or special offers?

An electronic city guide is another avenue to satisfy a travelers hunger for knowledge. These apps are increasingly becoming integrated with the mechanics of traveling. Today, if we would like to understand a train schedule, or opening time of a museum, or what are the museums special exhibits, we address our smart phones. So it's natural that an industry has sprung up to assist guide the fashionable traveler. One interesting a part of this new industry is that a number of the simplest touring apps are tours created by those professionals with the simplest knowledge, namely, local Guides.

There are many opportunities which will happen from Guides sharing their knowledge to make a City Guide app. These range from commissions to branding rights. Local Guides might make a couple of hundred dollars touring a gaggle while simultaneously earning another few hundred or thousand from the download commissions of all those travelers touring around taking note of them on an iPhone. When all cities have guiding apps, then the competition over which app is best for the buyer really heats up. App providers may tout the credentials of the creator of the tour, with links to the Tour Guide's site. Or apps may find their information from local university professors or armchair Tour Guides. many thousands of those tours are already being downloaded monthly in cities round the world. this may only increase because the city guide app industry evolves and further integrates itself into the hand, mind and pockets of travelers. What role does the professional guide play during this growing industry? Will the Tour Guides of the longer term be complaining that the knowledge within the apps came from amateurs? Or will we use our share our knowledge and see this as a revenue making opportunity?

If you are doing not know what's coming, then you're destined to react to the consequences of a situation. My advice is to know how the competitive landscape is changing and plan for your personal success. this is often only one small topic being covered in my lecture "Guiding within the Digital Age". If you can't make it to the planet Guide Summit to listen to it live, you'll in fact watch the video of my lecture on your smart phone. But be forewarned, i will be able to only be answering questions from those attending . There still may be a benefit to interacting to a live Guide.

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See Also: https://tour-guide-training.com/