Tour Guide - Tong Aizhen
My name is Tong Ai Zhen and I have been a tour guide for over 20 years. During that time I received all kinds of people, in different sizes of tour groups, from America, Australia, Canada, Britain and other countries. According to my working experience, the tourists I received, no matter whether they were “big potatoes” or ordinary persons, all wanted to enjoy their tour in China. So it is always my concern to enjoy being a guide and to ensure guests enjoy their stay in China.
------ I enjoy being a tour guide:
I enjoy being a guide because a guide’s job is not work with machines but with people. Tourists are all nice people. You don’t feel pressure while staying with them. You even very much enjoy being with them while sharing an interesting topic or something humorous.
As we all know, travel is not the whole of life, but it can be or even must be part of life if possible, because travel can color the life of a person, reduce work pressure and rest the mind for a while. What is more, it is also a good way to get to know something directly through personal experience. For most of the time, once a person has made the decision to have a trip, he or she must be full of good feelings. All such positive energy needs to be protected and boosted during the trip. As a guide, I can receive the positive energy from them, and I like to try my best to keep it going for the guests in response. This is another reason I enjoy being a guide.
It is said that an interpreter tour guide is a window of a country. It is true. But I also want to say that an interpreter tour guide is more like a bridge because foreign tourists always have language and cultural barriers. Before visiting China, most tourists knew very little about China and Chinese people. Once they are here, an interpreter tour guide can help them know more about the country and the local people, and bridge the gap to some extent. An interpreter tour guide can help them realize their wish ‘Seeing is believing’. I always feel good when I am told that China and Chinese people are totally different from the former picture in their mind.
------ How to ensure the guests enjoy their stay in China is also my concern.
As an interpreter tour guide, I feel that people, whether they are ‘big noses’ or Chinese, a big potato or an ordinary person, are all much the same. If you want your guests to appreciate what you do, you should be a qualified tour guide, paying attention to the following points:
• Keeping studying will help you to be very informative and considerate.
• Being good at communication will ensure you have a proper relationship with guests.
• Knowing something about psychology, you will be able to treat your guests nicely.
• Having a sense of humor will make the whole group happy and make your guests’ trip unforgettable.
I always bear in mind that the guests’ appreciation is the top priority.