How to Start a Tour Guide Business

One of the world’s largest industries is the travel industry. Despite the economic set back this sector faced in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is predicted to bounce back in the coming few years, meaning there has never been a better time to start planning the launch of a tour guide business.

Starting your own tour operating business is not easy, but there are plenty of benefits. As with all businesses, there are plenty of aspects that need to come together to ensure success — and it is sometimes difficult to know where to begin. Owning a tour company takes hard work, passion and dedication, but the rewards are worth it.

Wondering how to start a tour guide business? Find out what skills you need, the different paths you can take, important considerations to keep in mind and how to legally establish your business.

Let’s dive in.

What Is a Tour Guide?

Tour guides show groups around attractions such as historical points of interest and areas of natural beauty while giving them the relevant history and information needed to make their visit the best it can be. Tour guides have a range of skills and jobs to do, from acting as an interpreter to chauffeuring groups of tourists on day trips, walking tours and even overnight stays to remote destinations.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Be a Tour Guide?

Though no professional qualifications are required to start a tour company, there is a range of vital skills that are important for anyone looking to set up a tour business:

• The ability to handle uncertainty
• Good at handling pressure
• Awareness of current and new trends

There are also other aspects of the tour business that you should be familiar with as an entrepreneur. These include a knowledge of local cultural information, transportation and accommodation, as well as places of interest, the current political situation and more. You should also be familiar with visa and immigration regulations and procedures,

How to Gain Experience as a Tour Guide

How to Start

When starting as a tour guide, it might be good to get experience working as a guide for a park or museum. These jobs can give you experience handling large groups, developing leadership skills and confidence as a guide.

Many organisations and societies often employ and train guides, while tour companies, parks and travel agencies often need additional guides during the peak summer months. If you are interested, apply directly to the managing directors and directors of personnel and see if you can gain experience for one of these groups.

How to Advance

With more experience and knowledge, some workers may prefer to specialise in multiple destinations or specific countries. They may want to open a travel agency of their own or sell trip packages while working for wholesale tour companies.

This type of work can often lead to other lines of work, such as travel writing. Or, you could move into the corporate world and plan holidays and travel arrangements for corporate executives. The global economy has meant that many more jobs are available for people who know about foreign cultures and languages.

How to Start a Tour Guide Business

1. Find Your Niche

The first step you need to take in starting your tour guide business is clearly defining your proposition. Ask yourself: why would guests book through my company? Today’s travellers are not just looking for traditional tours but “experiences”. There is a huge demand for authentic activities, which means that locals can make the most of the demand. From yoga sessions to themed food nights, there is no end to the wonderful experiences you can offer travellers. All you need is to understand your target market.

2. Come Up with a Business Plan

A good business plan will make it easier to present to investors and also help you progress. As well as a company summary and mission statement, your plan should contain a target market description, financial projections, the service or product offerings and an executive summary.

3. Set Your Prices

It is difficult to get the pricing right, but it is vital to do so since your revenue will be dependent on your pricing. How much the customer sees the tour as worth and what sort of customers wish to use you are important. Never underprice because you have just started your business since you need to make a reasonable profit to develop and give even better service.

Good value for your customers is tightly linked to a higher price. You may develop a range of prices to suit the demands of varying customers who would like different sorts of experiences. You do need, however, to be aware of competitor pricing to ascertain pricing averages.

4. Be Insured

Being insured is an absolute necessity. You need public liability insurance and the ABTA bond. If you include flights with your bookings, you must also have the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (ATOL) licence. Professional indemnity and product liability are also worth thinking about, depending on the type of tour you arrange. For more information, AITO may be of help. You must also comply with the consumer protection and liabilities listed in the 1992 package travel regulations .

5. Marketing

One of the main things that lead to the success of a business is good marketing. You can market your business in numerous ways, such as creating a website crammed with beautiful tour photographs of tempting destinations. You may even think about writing your very own blog. Don’t forget to get happy customers to leave you their reviews and remember social media can be your friend when you make connections with tourist boards and travel writers. Even travel influencers may be happy and willing to help promote your business.

Ready to Form Your Tour Guide Company?

If you are ready to start a tour guide business, you need to create your company. You can form a limited company or go the sole-trader route . Deciding and completing your company formation can be the most challenging part of starting a business, but it’s crucial to your success.