Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to conduct a tour including multiple products, services and sites. It requires the ability to manage the tour logistics of a prearranged tour itinerary. The coordination of the delivery of the tour requires significant planning and organisational skills as well as the ability to liaise with suppliers and industry colleagues to maximise tour efficiency and customer service quality.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

The additional skills required to cohesively operate an extended tour covering multiple destinations and overnight stays are covered in SITTGDE005A Manage extended touring programs.

SITTGDE004A Lead tour groups, focuses on the communication, leadership and conflict resolution skills required by guides and on the ability to coordinate the movement of groups.

Application of the unit 

This unit describes a key tour guiding function. It applies to guides working in a range of locations and in multiple tourism industry sectors, but has particular application to guides engaged by tour operators, inbound tour operators and tour wholesalers. It may also be undertaken by driver guides and coach captains.

Tours can be provided at any international or domestic destination and can be for groups or individual customers. The complexity of the touring itinerary and its component parts will vary, but typically tours would be half-day or full-day and travelling within a city or region.

This unit has particular application to local guides and would not apply to a guide who works solely within one site. The unit also applies to tour managers who accompany tour groups on extended touring programs to manage the logistics of all group movements and touring arrangements at each destination throughout their tour.

Coordinating and operating a tour requires significant organisational, decision making and communication skills. Tour guides, tour managers and other tourism operational staff performing this function operate with a considerable level of autonomy or under limited supervision and guidance from others. They apply discretion and judgement within predefined organisational procedures and when on tour take the lead role without supervision.

It is critical that training and assessment is contextualised to meet the requirements of local tourism industry operations. Funding and hours allocated to pre-vocational training must allow for coverage of a broad scope of locations and destinations within the city or region in which the guide is training to work. This critical requirement will ensure that city or region-based local guides have the skills and knowledge required to operate tours to the range of different locations expected by local tourism industry operators.

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit is packaged will assist in identifying employability skills requirements.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised  text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge and/or the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1

Plan the logistics of tour delivery.

1.1

Plan the delivery of the tour  according to briefing information or documentation from the tourism operator .

1.2

Identify hazards for customers and delivery personnel for all touring components, conduct a risk assessment  and incorporate controls into management of tour logistics.

1.3

Make tour preparations and consider specific issues to ensure customer needs are met .

1.4

Prioritise and action tasks required for tour preparation and conduct, in advance of tour commencement.

2

Brief and assist customers.

2.1

Welcome customers to the tour and provide an accurate briefing on tour practicalities and procedures .

2.2

Provide additional information and assistance  to customers to enhance enjoyment of the tour.

3

Liaise with industry colleagues.

3.1

Liaise with industry colleagues  to achieve smooth operation of the tour.

3.2

Action requests from industry colleagues promptly and willingly wherever possible.

3.3

Request assistance politely when required.

3.4

Make agreements about individual and joint responsibilities during the tour.

3.5

Make forward reconfirmations and bookings  with suppliers in an accurate and timely manner.

3.6

Interpret documentation from other organisations correctly and apply appropriately.

4

Manage the itinerary.

4.1

Conduct the tour to schedule and include all features as set down in the itinerary.

4.2

Advise customers courteously and sensitively about unavoidable changes to itinerary.

4.3

Re-plan the itinerary promptly when necessary to ensure all purchased inclusions or their equivalents are delivered and disruption to customers is minimised.

4.4

Advise industry colleagues and suppliers affected by changes promptly and according to company procedures.

4.5

Maintain contact with those fixing the problem when itinerary delays occur and employ negotiation techniques to minimise time delay and negative impact on customers.

4.6

Keep customers accurately informed of reasons for delays and actions being taken to manage delays.

5

Deal with unexpected events.

5.1

Implement contingency plans without delay when unexpected events occur.

5.2

Assess the situation and select appropriate action promptly.

5.3

Follow company procedures strictly in the case of accidents or where safety of customers or colleagues may be threatened.

5.4

Identify and access sources of assistance promptly.

5.5

Amend tour to minimise impact on customer enjoyment.

6

Debrief tour.

6.1

Provide accurate and complete tour reports according to organisation guidelines.

6.2

Provide accurate customer and personal feedback and other information to the company to assist with future improvements.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit:

• ability to conduct a safety-based risk assessment and implement appropriate hazard controls
• interpretation of the specific needs of customers and any specific services previously promoted or confirmed to them
• interpretation of tourism industry jargon, especially product codes
• use of the 24-hour clock for itinerary timings
• high-level communication skills to communicate with customers, industry colleagues and suppliers about touring logistics and sometimes complex issues such as itinerary changes
• literacy skills to read and interpret customer and operational information, such as travel vouchers, customer and technical itineraries, and briefing instructions provided by tourism operators
• writing skills to complete documents such as hazard identifications, risk assessments, tour reports and written reconfirmations of touring arrangements accurately and legibly
• numeracy skills to calculate tour component times and translate from the 24-hour to 12-hour clock for customer use.

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit:

• in-depth product knowledge appropriate to the specific touring itinerary and its component products and services
• the key features of culturally or environmentally sensitive areas to be visited and use of fundamental minimal impact practices to protect and sustain these
• tourism industry, supplier networks and interrelationships that impact on the conduct of a multi-product and multi-site touring itinerary
• industry reconfirmation and booking procedures for tour components
• legal and liability issues affecting guides specifically in relation to domestic and relevant overseas consumer law regarding provision of services as advertised
• in-depth knowledge of planning procedures relating to the delivery logistics of a multifaceted touring itinerary and the management processes to be undertaken before, during and on completion of a tour
• tour management problems, and strategies to address these.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

Evidence of the following is essential:

• ability to plan for and operate the tour logistics of prearranged tour itineraries, comprising multiple products, services and sites in a safe and environmentally protective manner
• knowledge of the tourism industry, supplier networks and interrelationships that impact on the conduct of a multi-product, multi-site touring itinerary
• procedures for reconfirmation of touring components and mechanisms for solving situations and problems on tour
• coordinating and operating multiple tours to ensure consistency of performance
• delivery of multifaceted tours of a duration that reflect local industry product and practice, such as half-day tour and full-day tour
• coordinating and operating multifaceted tours to a number of locations and destinations within the city or region in which the guide works or is training to work, including coverage of a range of full and half-day tours popular and available in that location e.g. half-day city tours or tours to regional destinations.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• planning for and operating multifaceted tours within commercially realistic touring environments, including all operational elements of a commercial tour
• access to equipment and resources required for the delivery of tours, e.g. transport and venue access
• interaction with and involvement of a tourism operator for whom the tours are being conducted

• interaction with customer groups of a size and nature that reflect the commercial environment in which the guide operates
• use of industry-current customer and operational documentation to support the delivery of a multifaceted touring itinerary.

Methods of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to coordinate and operate a tour. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• direct observation of organisational and tour management skills by participating in a tour conducted by the candidate
• review of tour preparation notes or tour reports prepared by the candidate
• problem-solving case studies to assess ability to apply contingency and risk management skills to a range of different touring situations and problems
• written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge of industry networks, tour management procedures and legal issues affecting tour management
• review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• SITTGDE004A Lead tour groups
• SITTGDE005A Manage extended touring programs
• SITTGDE006A Prepare and present tour commentaries or activities.

Assessing employability skills 

Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

The tour  may be a:

• half or full-day tour
• extended tour
• city or rural tour
• cultural tour
• ecotour
• adventure tour
• special interest tour.

Briefing information or documentation from the tourism operator  may include:

• customer information
• itinerary information
• supplier information
• special request notes
• tickets, vouchers or other travel documentation for guide and group
• supplier contact details
• optional tour information
• financial documents
• promotional materials.

Risk assessment  may involve assessment of:

• customers' abilities to fully engage in all activities (e.g. customer health issues)
• blocked, inaccessible tour routes
• health or safety hazards associated with weather and exposure, e.g. insufficient shade or protection from rain
• health or safety hazards associated with insufficient distance or protection from local wildlife
• crowd-related issues
• health or safety hazards associated with activities to be undertaken
• the cultural or environmental sensitivity of areas to be visited and use of minimal impact practices to protect and sustain these
• potential service delivery difficulties
• tight timing or scheduling.

Consideration of specific issues to ensure customer needs are met  must include:

• type of customers
• customer special needs
• size of tour group
• length of tour
• specific itinerary requirements
• special requests
• style of commentary required
• location of tour
• climate
• equipment and resources required
• environmental and cultural considerations
• language considerations.

Tour practicalities and procedures to be communicated  must include:

• tour itinerary or program, including route, schedule and highlights
• availability of free time
• health and safety procedures
• local culture, customs and security
• local regulations, including:

• customs
• immigration
• luggage

• specific site procedures
• procedures at tour stops
• any group rules, regulations and codes of behaviour
• the cultural or environmental sensitivity of areas to be visited and use of minimal impact practices to protect and sustain these.

Additional information and assistance  that may be provided to customers may include:

• local events and activities
• options for free time activities
• optional tours and costs
• general directions
• local facilities.

Industry colleagues  may include:

• host communities
• coach drivers
• tour managers
• local guides
• airlines
• tour operators
• product suppliers, including hotels, restaurants, attractions and retail locations
• land managers and other statutory authorities
• tour company office.

Reconfirmations and bookings  may be for any touring product or service component and may include:

• accommodation venue
• restaurant
• catering provider
• ground transport
• airline
• charter airline
• scenic flight
• train
• retail outlet
• attraction
• guided tour within attractions and sites
• cruise
• local tour guide
• optional tour.

Sector 

Tourism

Competency field 

Guiding