Entry Level Qualification 

12

Career Fields 

Hospitality, Tourism & Transport Services

For Specially Abled 

Career Entrance Exam 

NCHM JEE UG

About Career 

As a Tourist Guide, you will take tourists on a tour of places of interest such as a monument, historical places, temples, palaces, forts, museum, villages, cities, towns, wildlife sanctuary, natural wonders, jungle treks, and other places. Your primary role will be to guide the tourists enjoy and navigate the tours well and learn about the places.

You will inform the tourists about the origin and history of the places of interest. You will help them to learn about various interesting aspects of the places. You will describe the places, wildlife, artifacts in the museum, natural wonders (such as a rock formation, waterfalls, etc.), palaces, forts and other places of tourist interests.

Key Roles And Responsibilities

As a Tourist Guide, you will be engaged with one or more of the following roles and responsibilities:

1. Planning tour itineraries and logistics using knowledge about the places of tourist interests and various destinations.

2. Accompanying tourists on touring of various places of interests.

3. Guiding tourists through the places of interests so that they can enjoy and learn about the places well.

4. Informing tourists about various aspects of the places of interests, museum artifacts, work of art, wildlife, natural wonders, etc.

5. Helping tourists learn about local culture, interact with local people and have a good experience.

6. Solving problems related to itineraries, various tourist services, and accommodation.

7. Arranging transportation for tours and taking care of various other logistics such as food, clothing, camping equipment, trekking equipment, travel permissions, etc.

8. Performing various clerical and administrative duties such as collection of tour fees, filing tour reports to your authorities, etc.

Career Entry Pathway 

Class 10 all subjects as per scheme of studies – Class 11-12 with English & any other subject as per scheme of studies – Enroll for B.Voc. (Bachelor of Vocation) in Tourism and obtain a license

After your class 12, you can apply for B.Voc. (Bachelor of Vocation) in Tourism from any vocational institute or other similar institutes such as St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and you have to obtain a license approved by the Ministry of Tourism in India for working as a Tourist Guide. This graduate level program is 3 years of duration.

Class 10 all subjects as per scheme of studies – Class 11-12 with English & any other subject as per scheme of studies – Enroll for Certificate / Diploma in Tourism and Tour Guide and obtain a license

After your class 12, you can apply for Certificate / Diploma in Tourism and Tour Guide from any vocational institute or other similar institutes. You have to obtain a license approved by the Ministry of Tourism in India for working as a Tourist Guide. These courses are usually 6 – 12 months of duration.

Class 10 all subjects as per scheme of studies / Class 11-12 with any subject as per scheme of studies – Obtain NSQF Level 4 qualification in Tour Guide

After class 10 or class 11-12, you can obtain NSQF (National Skills Qualification Framework) Level 4 qualification in Tour Guide from any vocational institute or other similar institutes. For this certificate, you need to be 18 years of age.

Required Qualification & Competencies 

1. After completing class 12 with English Core & any other subject as per scheme of studies, you can enroll for B.Voc. (Bachelor of Vocation) in Tourism.

2. If you have completed class 12, you can apply for Certificate / Diploma in Tourism and Tour Guide.

3. Either completing class 10 or class 12, you may obtain NSQF Level 4 qualification in Tour Guide.

Competencies Required

1. Enterprising - You should have interests for Enterprising Occupations. Enterprising occupations involve taking initiatives, initiating actions, and planning to achieve goals, often business goals. These involve gathering resources and leading people to get things done. These require decision making, risk-taking, and action orientation.

2. Conventional - You should have interests for Conventional Occupations. Conventional occupations involve repetitive and routine tasks as well as fixed processes or procedures for getting things done. These occupations involve working more with data, systems, and procedures and less with ideas or creativity.

3. Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

4. Customer Service -   Knowledge about how to provide customer services. This includes understanding customer needs, helping customers to use products and services, answering customer queries, handling customer complaints and grievances, and evaluating customer satisfaction.

5. Sales and Promotion - Knowledge of the various principles, theories, methods, systems and processes to communicate and promote the benefits of various products or services of an organization to a targeted group of customers, influencing their buying decisions and convincing them to buy the products or services.

6. Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, understanding the points being made by others, asking questions, etc.

7. Service Orientation - Skills in or a keen interest to help and assist people.

Career - Job Opportunities & Profiles 

After completing your Certificate /  Diploma / NSQF qualification in Tourist Guide, you can get a job in any of the following positions in various small or medium scale establishments or travel agencies:

1. Tourist Guide

2. Coach Guide

You can get a job in any visitor's bureau establishment or corporation that offers tours of cities, industrial locations, or other points of interest. You can also be employed for seasonal and temporary positions i.e., working only during the summer months when tourism is at its peak.

Specialisation Tracks In This Career

1. Heritage Tourist Guide

As a Heritage Tourist Guide, you will be giving information of the past, moreover found at palaces, forts, museums, battlefields, tombs, temples, churches, etc.

2. Culture Guide

As a Culture Guide, you will be giving information on the lifestyle patter on the native society of the particular tourist destination.

3. Adventure Guide

As an Adventure Guide, you will be guiding tourists on various adventures such as mountaineering, trekking, skiing, surfing and scuba diving or snorkeling guide.

4. Forest/Wildlife Tourism Guide

As a Forest/Wildlife Tourism Guide, you will be giving information to the various tourists about the forest hunting, safari hunting, eco-and animal-friendly tourism, etc. in the natural habitats.

5. City Tour Guides

City Tour Guides are also known as Coach Guides. As a City Tour Guide, you will be giving information of the past, forts, temples, tombs, famous food of the city, famous places in the city, etc. of a particular city.

6. Nature Guide

As a Nature Guide, you will be guiding or giving information to the tourist about the desert, hill station and botanical garden guide, etc.

7. Special Interest Guide

One who gives information about the Cruise Guide, Golf Guide, Shopping Guide, Hotel Guide, Wedding Guide etc. to the tourists are known as Special Interest Guide.

Career Growth

With work experience, you can grow to become Tour Coordinator, Tour Manager, Tour Operator, Tour Captain, etc. You may also offer your services independently to customers who are known to you. You may also venture out on your own and set up your own travel agency.

Salary Offered  

1. At the beginning of your career, you may earn about Rs. 6,000 – 9,000 per month.

2. With 3 - 5 years of experience, you may earn about Rs. 12,000 - 18,000 or even more per month.

3. With 8 - 10 years of experience, you may earn about Rs. 20,000 – 30,000 or even more per month.

4. However, if you become reputed among your clients, then you can earn in the range of Rs. 25,000-50,000 or more a month. You may also get offers individually from reputed persons.

Monthly Earnings In Indian Rupee

1. Entry level: 0 - 2 years of work experience

2. Junior Level: From 1 to 12 years of work experience

3. Mid-Level: From 5 to 20+ years of work experience

4. Senior Level: From 10 to 25+ years of work experience (there could be exceptions in some high-end technical, financial, engineering, creative, management, sports, and other careers; also in the near future, people will reach these levels much faster in many careers and in some careers, these levels will have no meaning as those careers will be completely tech skill driven such as even now, there is almost no level in a Cyber Security Expert’s job)

Famous Personalities 

Not Available.

Work Activities 

1. Getting Information and learning - Observing, hearing, and reading using computers, or otherwise obtaining information and learning from it.

2. Communicating with co-workers and others - Communicating with people in writing, verbally or otherwise inside your workplace and various other people who have professional relationships with your place of work including vendors, government officials, etc. or with people at large.

3. Communicating with customers - Communicating with potential and existing customers of your organization in writing, verbally or otherwise.

4. Working directly with people - Working directly with people to offer them products and services, providing assistance, etc.

6. Developing and maintaining inter-personal relationships - Developing professional relationships with co-workers and others outside organizations and maintaining good relationships.

7. Updating and using relevant knowledge - Keeping updated with the latest knowledge relevant to your fields of work and use of the relevant knowledge in getting things done.