“Ethics of Tour Guiding”                                 

By Bienvenido Claravall

Work Values and Professional Ethics – for tour guides words and action are are indicative of the individual’s total personality and those that are related to the individual’s work-related attitudes and behaviour.  

               Personality

·        Dress properly and be properly attired - wear outdoor clothes for outdoor activities and indoor clothing for indoor activities;

·        Never trade appearance for comfort;

·        Be properly groomed – manage your hair and nails and use make-up to enhance and not to hide;

·        Always maintain your dignity and always observe proper decorum

     Sensitivity 

·        Be attuned to the interest of the travelers and sure of the quality of information you provide;

·        Be sensitive to the operating environment – natural or social - in particular in matters concerning safety and security;

·        Use social skills to elicit cooperation with other staff they are your partners too; 

·        Encourage responsive and responsible behavior from your clients - lead by          example - seek grounds of concern and work for the common good;   

     Honesty

·        Do not cheat – be honest, there is more to honesty than money; 

·        Do not lie – if you do not know, say so - guess work is easily detected;

·        Do not steal other people’s time – be punctual;

·        Do not pretend - be prepared (emotionally, physically and mentally);

     Sincerity

·        Handle money responsibly – and never insinuate or ask for tips;

·        Show genuine interest in people – be natural and avoidtheatre;

·        Let love of country shown thru your thoughts, words and deeds

·        And most of all “smile” and be enthusiastic about your profession

Managing Industry Relations – a component of a whole must also learn new ways to establish better rapport with the suppliers’ staff and be ingenious in establishing harmonious linkages with the local communities. 

• Avoid being bossy, laud or ill-mannered- remember, this is only a job
• Never argue - resolve conflict situations in private
• When things go wrong, protect the suppliers but do not take sides
• You are a member of a team, aim to work as a team, when one fails, all fail

                          

Sharing and Learning and Sharing

• Learn to distinguish up-land, low land and coastal environments, their attributes and concerns
• Reach out and net-work with others – individuals, groups and associations
• Share experiences – there is always something new to learn
• And most of all seek cooperation rather than confrontation  

         
In Search of Excellence - “Hindi na Pwede and Pwede na”

I will practice professional conduct by:

·        Reporting for duty prepared, ready and able and on time, all the time

·        Following the tour guide’s norms of conduct: being friendly but respectful, showing leadership without being bossy and being understanding but firm 

·        Adhering to the appropriate dress code at all times

·        Performing my duties and responsibilities to the best of my ability   

·        Looking after the well-being of the visitors at all times

I will practice professional ethics by:

·        Protecting the interests of the my principal, the operator of the tour package

·        Endeavoring to promote the interest of my principal by generating additional revenues 

·        Objectively overseeing the performance of other suppliers and rectifying problem situations objectively, humanely and diplomatically

·        Practicing situational awareness at all times – in particular in situations concerning safety and security 

I will be morally up-right by:

·        Refraining from participating, promoting, aiding or abetting “sex-tourism” or similar illegal and immoral activities, such as gun-running and use of prohibited drugs;

·        Strictly following established accounting rules and regulations, specifically those pertaining to the management of money – cash advance liquidations, collections and remittances

I will be sensitive to the natural and social environment by:

·        Promoting conservation of the natural environment and practicing the principle to “reduce, re-use and re-cycle”  in every day life

·        Promoting the preservation of the Filipino heritage 

·        Respecting the sensitivities, customs, culture and traditions of all local communities and indigenous peoples

      

I will demonstrate love of Country in word, thought and deed by:

·        Providing factual, appropriate and objective commentaries and spiels – when negative comments are necessary, I will present these tactfully and diplomatically

·        Showing proper respect to the national flag and the national anthem

·        Obeying rules and regulations, in particular those related to traffic and littering

·        Paying the appropriate government taxes when due