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Tour guide principles for COVID-19

On the subject matter of managing tour groups and making tourists safe at destinations or safe when they consume tourist products, it is inevitable that the methods of conducting tourism operation should be different from the norm for a period of time until general activities return to the normal.

How do we make tourists safe?

Tourists and visitors can only be safe when they are managed well. How can groups be managed well? The simplest method is to adhere strictly to social distancing aside other logistics of managing groups. The dream and hope of every tourism worker is for travel to fully reopen.

I thought it would take a long while for international tours to return again after the long interruption, but Moses Chuwa, a Tanzanian tour guide made it clear to me with excitement that: “Tanzania is opened to international tourists now.”

This is good news, but I implore the Tanzanian government to continue without interruption the safe guarantee of both the guides and the tourists. The safety of the hotel staff, souvenir shops attendants, restaurant workers, museum staff, and others should be taken into account.

As the battle against the pandemic is gradually yielding positive result, it is encouraging as countries like Tanzania, Austria, Ukraine, Borneo, and others are opening up their local tourism, but the safety measures at these tourist destinations should be strictly implemented. On how to make tourists and everyone safe at this period, the numbers of participants in a tour group is of special importance. A very large group should not be more than 20, including the tour guide.

For any country to open up its local or international tourism activities, the practitioners; public and government; must adhere to terms and conditions to prevent and minimise the spread of the virus. Austria opened up its domestic tourism on the first of May, with the condition that the maximum participant in a group should not be more than 10, including the tour guide. On May 11, Ukraine also opened up its tour activities with the maximum participants of eight in a tour group, including the tour guide. On the May 18, Slovenia followed suit by opening its recreational centres. Small tour groups are encouraged in Slovenia and safety measures like social distancing and masks are still enforced.

How can tour groups be managed well and safe?

I found some of the answers in how I conducted large groups during Ebola pandemic in 2014, although the situation was not as terrible as COVID – 19, with many deaths and locked down. Before the advent of COVID – 19 whenever I am on tour with large groups with participants as many as 50 or more, I usually start the tour in an open space.

I instruct the participants to spread out. During COVID – 19, to ensure the safety of the tourists, groups should be conducted in an open space and organised in large circles, with a minimum of two metres apart to each participant. During the Ebola saga, I avoided the congestion of the museum and other tourist products, especially any indoor.

Therefore, during COVID – 19, museums and other sites should be weary of congestion. Spaces should be booked ahead and government should organise a tourism task force from tourism practitioners to implement this practice in the state or country. After spacing, I usually address the group with a microphone and amplifier. After I finish curating in the open space, the tourists, depending on their numbers, will enter the interior in batches. Questions or inquiries won’t be attended to in the interior. This should be responded to in the open space.

Other guidelines to adopt to keep the tourists safe include:

The regular use of face masks should be enforced; The numbers of participants in a group is very important and should be checked; Groups should be organised in large circles; A minimum of two metres apart from one participant to the other. Congestions of tourist sites should be avoided; For audible purpose, the use of the microphone and amplifier should be encouraged; After curating or discussion in the open space, the tourists or visitors should be allowed into the museum or attraction in batches and the numbers will depend on the size of the facility. Questions and queries are to be attended to in an open space and not in an enclosure.

*Anago James Akeem Osho, is from Badagry and a thoroughbred tour guide, offering wide range of services in tourism

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