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Tour Guide

Academic programs / Undergraduate degrees / Career opportunities / Tour Guide

Tour Guide

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

Potential job titles in this career
Cruise Counselor, Guide, Naturalist Guide, Tour Coordinator, Tour Escort, Tour Manager, Tour Operations Specialist, Tour Operator, Travel Consultant, Whitewater Rafting Guide

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
What will I do?
  • Arrange for tour or expedition details such as accommodations, transportation, equipment, and the availability of medical personnel.
  • Plan tour itineraries, applying knowledge of travel routes and destination sites.
  • Resolve any problems with itineraries, service, or accommodations.
  • Attend to special needs of tour participants.
  • Sell travel packages.
  • Evaluate services received on the tour, and report findings to tour organizers.
  • Give advice on sightseeing and shopping.
  • Administer first aid to injured group participants.
  • Explain hunting and fishing laws to groups to ensure compliance.
  • Lead individuals or groups to tour site locations and describe points of interest.
  • In this career, it is important to know
    Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    It's useful to be good at
    Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

    Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

    Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

    Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

    Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

    Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

    Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

    Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

    Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

    Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
    Employment trends
    Location Pay period 2022
    10% 25% Median% 75% 90%
    United States Hourly $11.25 $13.57 $16.56 $20.61 $26.51
    Yearly $23,400 $28,220 $34,440 $42,870 $55,130
    Arizona Hourly $14.42 $15.87 $18.35 $23.81 $29.38
    Yearly $29,990 $33,010 $38,180 $49,530 $61,100
    2022 Median%
    United States $16.56 Hourly $34,440 Yearly
    Arizona $18.35 Hourly $38,180 Yearly

    Employment (2022)
    53,600 employees
    Projected growth (2022 - 2032)
    Faster than average (8% to 10%)
    Projected job openings (2022 - 2032)
    12,200
    * Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).
    What are accelerated programs?
    Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

    3 year programs

    These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.

    Accelerated master's

    These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

    Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
    What are concurrent programs?
    Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
    What are joint programs?
    Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

    What constitutes a new program?
    ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the “New Programs” option.
    What are online programs?
    ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
    What is the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)?
    The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a program in which residents of western states (other than Arizona) may be eligible for reduced nonresident tuition. See more information and eligibility requirements on the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program.

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