THE ITINERARY
Learning Objectives
1. Define itinerary;
2. Identify the components of an itinerary;
3. Gather and select information to prepare an itinerary; and
4. Apply paraphrasing techniques.
Itinerary
◦ An itinerary is a written travel schedule made by a travel agency for their client or tourist. Also
known as a tour program, an itinerary must contain the following information:
What is the title of the itinerary?
Who are the tourists? (i.e., name of tourist or group of tourists, number of tourists traveling
together in a group, and country of origin)
Where are they going and staying? (i.e., type and number of room/s required, name of
hotel, meal service, and tour activities with date, day, time, and description)
When are they arriving and departing? (i.e.,arrival and departure details, transfers required)
◦ “How many” and “how are they going to get there” are already incorporated in the 4 WH-
questions.
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary
◦After gathering the information, select the part for inclusion in the tour
itinerary. Use this set of criteria called the "five-way test" in choosing the
information for the tour itinerary.
1. Is the information accurate?
2. Does the information address the 4 Wh-questions, who, what, where, and
when?
3. In the information relevant or directly connected to any of the places that in
the tour schedule?
4. Is it easy to understand?
5. Is it interesting?
Paraphrasing Techniques
◦ Here is an example of technical information:
Tarsiers are arboreal and nocturnal. They are the only extant entirely
carnivorous primates, primarily insectivorous. Their dentition has not changed
much, except in size, in the past 45 million years. The Philippine tarsier is
endemic to the country (Encyclopedia of Life, n.d.).
Paraphrasing Techniques
◦Paraphrased Information:
Tarsiers live on branches of lower trees and are more active at night, hunting for
food. They only eat meat, mainly insects. They are the only all-meat-eating
primates alive. Their teeth and mouth have not changed much, except in size, in
the past 45 million years. The Philippine tarsier can only be found in the country
and nowhere else in the world.
PREPARING TOUR
COMMENTARY
Learning Objectives
1. Define the logical arrangement of an itinerary;
2. Explain the importance of arranging the tour logically; and
3. Arrange an itinerary logically.
What is a commentary?
◦ Tour commentary, also known as "guidespeak,” refers to what tour
guides say in front of the guests when describing an attraction. It
includes general information about the country as well as local
tales, events, and personalities related to the attraction.
Here are the steps in preparing a tour
commentary:
1. Know your guests' interests and expectations.
2. Know the itinerary.
3. Look for reliable sources of information about the attractions included in the
itinerary and gather information from these sources.
4. Write your tour commentary based on the information you gathered.
5. Practice and revise your commentary as you see fit.
Here are the steps in preparing a tour
commentary:
◦For easy recall, let us use the acronym GIS-JOE, which stands for:
Know your Guests, Itinerary, and Sources of Information
Then, Jot it down and Execute (JOD)
Types of Commentary
1. Required
- A required tour commentary is a memorized script usually
provided by a company for its guides. Deviations from the
required are highly discouraged, if not prohibited by the company.
An example of the required commentary delivered by guides in a
theme park attraction.
Types of Commentary
2. Informative
- Sometimes referred to as interpretation, an informative commentary
highlights the guide's role as an educator. Through an informative
commentary, the tour guide explains to the visitors the meaning and
relevance of the things and symbols in the environment in a language that
the visitors could easily understand and relate to.
Types of Commentary
3. Requested
- When requested or asked, tour guides shall provide commentary to address
particular needs and inquiries of the tourists. Although this type of
commentary can be called for on an ad hoc basis, tour guides must still come
prepared. In this regard, it is important for tour guides to know their
assigned city or location very well.
Types of Commentary
4. Optional
- Optional commentaries highlight the guide's engaging and entertaining
traits. Like the requested commentary, an optional commentary allows for
the tour guide's deeper involvement in a conversation and analysis. In this
way, the tourists can have a better appreciation of the tour and the
attraction.
Components of a Commentary
1. Introduction
- Greet the tour participants, introduce yourself (and the driver), and get to
know the members of the group. Provide an overview of the tour schedule
and what to expect during the tour. Provide general information about the
country and/or city as well.
Components of a Commentary
2. Body
- Upon arriving at a particular tourist attraction, describe the attraction and its
relevance, what to see or do there, how long the group will stay there, and
the time everybody is expected to be back at a specific meeting point. Do
this for all other attractions.
Components of a Commentary
3. Reaction
- Give the tour participants a chance to ask questions before setting them free.
Allow for question and answer during the tour. Encourage tour participants to
voice out their reactions after the tour. Do not argue with the participants,
instead, try to address their concerns. When receiving a question or remark,
confirm it first by paraphrasing before responding, and then ask again if the
concern is properly addressed. Do a recap after delivering the body of the
commentary and calling for reactions. A recap is a brief summary of what has
been discussed.
Components of a Commentary
4. Reminders
- Make sure that the tour participants take care of themselves and their
belongings and respect each other's time and space. Always remind them to
be on time and protect themselves from various elements in the
environment.
Components of a Commentary
5. Closing
- End the tour by thanking the tour participants for joining the tour. Whenever
possible, ask them to join the tour again or other tours that the company
offers. Some companies request guests to fill out a feedback sheet at this
point, while others provide simple tokens of gratitude like local items or
group photos.
Steps in Preparing a Tour Commentary
1. Get a map of the tourist site and plot the location of all the tourist
attractions that the tour group is going to visit.
2. Plot locations of toilets, food stores, souvenir shops, security office, and
clinics.
3. Identify a starting point and a meet-up point at the end of the tour.
4. Think of a logical arrangement for visiting the tourist attractions such that
you will visit the closest one to the starting point first and then work your
way through until you reach the meet-up point, making sure that no effort
and time are wasted because of crisscrossing paths and backtracking.
