Current situation and solutions to enhance the capacity of tour guide team at Xuyen A Tourism and Trade Joint Stock Company

important contribution to the development of tourism activities.

The more diverse and rich the tourism products and services are, the greater the attraction for tourists. In the two types of services, namely main services (including food, accommodation, transportation, travel) and additional services (entertainment services, services to satisfy other needs of tourists such as curiosity, health, etc.), additional services play an important role in attracting tourists to tourist destinations. The diversity of additional services is an important factor in generating high revenue for the tourism industry.

1.1.1.6 Tourism services.

Is the provision of travel, transportation, food, entertainment, information, guidance and other services to meet the needs of tourists.

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1.1.1.7 Tourist accommodation facilities.

Is an establishment that rents rooms, beds and provides other services to serve guests, of which the hotel is the main accommodation facility.

1.1.1.8 Tour program.

It is a predetermined schedule, services and program prices for a tourist's trip from the departure point to the tourist destination.

1.1.1.9 Tourist transport.

In any trip, tourist transport plays a very important role. These are the means of transport that ensure the conditions for serving tourists, used to transport tourists according to the tour program. The more the tourist transport ensures the quality of service (the comfort of visitors, on schedule, on schedule, safety for tourists...), the higher the effectiveness of the tour, the more convenient the implementation of other stages in the tour program.

1.1.1.10 Concept of travel and travel business.

Nowadays, the term Travel has become very familiar in social life. It is the activity of making a trip from one place to another by many different means of transport for many different reasons and purposes, not necessarily returning to the starting point. In reality, people approach this term in two ways.

In a broad sense, travel includes all human movements and activities related to such movements. In this approach, tourism includes travel elements but not all travel activities are tourism activities.

In a narrow sense, to distinguish package tourism business activities from other tourism business activities such as hotels, entertainment, recreation, etc., people limit travel activities to include only activities that organize package tourism activities. The starting point of this approach is that people believe that travel business activities only include activities that organize package tourism activities. A typical example of this approach is the definition: "Travel is the implementation of a tourist trip according to a predetermined plan, itinerary, and program." [14,29]

Tour Operation Business is understood as the construction, sale and organization of tourism programs for the purpose of profit.[14,29]

Organizations and individuals who sell travel programs of travel agencies to tourists to receive commissions, but do not carry out the sold travel programs, are called Travel Subagent Business [14,29]

Travel business is the activity most related to the activities of tour guides (HDV DL). Because if the HDV DL works well, it means bringing high efficiency to the travel business. Or in other words, the HDV DL is the person who builds the symbol for the travel business unit. Travel activities have some characteristics.

following point.

+ Travel business activities create products that are mainly services that exist in an intangible form. This is an important characteristic that affects most stages of the business process.

+ The results of travel business activities depend on many factors and are unstable.

+ The production process and the consumption process in the tourism business take place at the same time.

+ For products created by travel businesses, it is difficult for consumers to feel the difference before consuming those products.

+ Travel business activities are often deployed over a large geographical area.

+ Business activities are often clearly seasonal for each market segment.

+ Travel business activities depend on many objective factors in the macro environment, beyond the control of the business.

1.1.2 Tour Guide and related activities.

1.1.2.1 Concept of tour guide.

In the history of the birth, existence and development of tourism, tour guides (HDDL) have not been formed at the same time. Initially, tourists mainly researched on their own to satisfy the needs of the trip according to the predetermined purpose. Then, at tourist destinations, local people often took on the role of introducing to tourists their knowledge about the objects that tourists were interested in. Over time, the flow of tourists gradually increased with the diversification of tourism service business activities. Tour guide activities were also born and immediately had an important and necessary position in the tourism business in particular and the tourism industry in general.

From being a combined activity of service owners, scientists or people with specific knowledge of one or more fields

Definition, about one or more objects of visitors at a tourist destination for hire, tour guides have become a typical activity of the tourism industry. Tour guides were born to require objectivity and professionalism, to meet the understanding needs of tourists.

Although in the history of the industry, tour guide activities were born after the tourism process, they play an important role in tourism business activities. Through tour guide activities, accommodation services, food services, transportation services are performed more thoughtfully and richly due to the coordination of tour guides. Tourists' needs for these services are thus met more accurately, quickly and fully. Tour guide activities also contribute to making additional services more vibrant. Because, through tour guides, tourism businesses will grasp the psychological tastes, characteristics and health status... of tourists in order to promptly have appropriate adjustment policies, better meeting the needs of customers. Therefore, tourism services will develop more and more, tourism revenue will grow more and more.

Currently, tourism businesses in general have tour guide activities. For travel businesses (including international and domestic travel), tour guide activities are even more necessary. Tour design, tour sales, advertising, intermediary marketing... must all be associated with tour guide requirements. Therefore, whether tour guide activities are good or not will contribute fundamentally to the sale of tours and the tourism business of these organizations.

In addition to satisfying the needs of tourists according to the purpose of the trip, the type of tourism they choose, the objects they need to learn about, need to use..., the activities of the tour operator also contribute to solving problems arising during the travel process of tourists. There are many problems with many different situations that occur during the travel process of tourists at the place of customs procedures, residence, medical treatment, many situations that occur while eating and drinking on the means of transport through the regions, at tourist destinations... that tourists need help from the activities.

These requirements are becoming more and more common in the tourism industry, so guiding activities are becoming more and more indispensable in the entire tourism business in general.

With the explosion of information and the strong development of information technology, tour guide activities are increasingly supported by many factors, so they are more convenient, especially the information to tourists. However, tour guide activities are still necessary and require increasingly high professional skills.

So what is tour guide? This concept can be understood as follows: "Tourism service is the activity of tourism business organizations, through tour guides and related people to welcome, serve, guide tourists to perform services according to agreed programs and help tourists solve problems arising during the tour" [9,20]

The above concept clearly indicates the main activities of tour guides, the most important role of which is that of tour guides, who represent tourism businesses to carry out contracts between their units and tourists." Tour guiding activities include many aspects of work and require expertise at many different levels.

1.1.2.2 Concept of tour guide.

There have been many definitions and concepts of tour guides. Through the existence and development of the tourism industry, this concept has been increasingly perfected and made more accurate, consistent with the nature of tour guide work.

The University of British Columbia in Canada, a prestigious human resource training address, has introduced the concept: "Tour guides are individuals who work on tourist routes, directly accompany or travel with individuals or groups of tourists according to a tour program to ensure that the tour is carried out according to plan, explain to tourists about tourist attractions and create good impressions for tourists." [9,24]

In 1994, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism introduced the concept of tour guide.

tourism as follows: “Tourist guides are professional staff working for travel businesses (including other travel businesses with travel business functions) performing the task of guiding tourists according to signed tour programs. [9,26]

The above concepts all reflect the job content of a tour guide. However, according to Professor, Dr. Dinh Trung Kien - author of the textbook Tour Guide Profession, the concepts all fully reflect the concept of a tour guide and have not been distinguished from other tour guides or people introducing tourists at tourist attractions, but are not real tour guides. According to him: "A tour guide is a person who guides tourists on sightseeing trips or at tourist attractions to meet the agreed needs of tourists within a certain period of time and represents the tourism business organization to resolve any problems arising during the tour within their scope and capabilities." [9,25]

The 2005 Vietnam Tourism Law defines it very briefly: “Tour guiding is an activity for tourists according to a tour program. The person who performs the guiding activity is called a tour guide and is paid for the tour guiding service.”

1.1.2.3 Concept of presenter.

A tour guide is a person who explains on-site to tourists within a tourist area or tourist attraction. The tour guide must be knowledgeable about the tourist area or tourist attraction, able to communicate with tourists and behave culturally.

1.1.2.4 Classification of tour guides

* According to their ability and scope of activities, tour guides are divided into two types including international tour guides and domestic tour guides. International tour guides are allowed to guide international and domestic tourists; domestic tour guides are allowed to guide domestic tourists who are Vietnamese, but are not allowed to guide foreign tourists. Tour guides

are allowed to practice when having a tour guide card and a contract with a travel agency. Tour guide cards include international tour guide cards and domestic tour guide cards, valid for 3 years and nationwide.

According to Vietnamese law, people granted domestic tour guide cards must ensure the following conditions:

+ Be a Vietnamese citizen, permanently residing in Vietnam, and have full civil act capacity.

+ No infectious diseases, no use of addictive substances.

+ Have a professional intermediate level in tour guiding or higher. If you graduated from another major, you must have a tour guiding certificate issued by a competent training institution.

People who are granted an international tour guide card must meet the following conditions:

+ Have Vietnamese nationality, permanently reside in Vietnam, have full civil act capacity.

+ No infectious diseases, no use of addictive substances.

+ Have a bachelor's degree in tour guiding or higher. If you graduated from university in another major, you must have a tour guiding certificate issued by a competent training institution.

In addition to the above factors, people granted international tour guide cards must also be fluent in at least one foreign language.

* According to the nature of work, tour guides are classified as follows:

+ Professional tour guide (Tour Guide) is a person who guides a group of tourists to carry out a tour program agreed upon by a tourism business organization and is granted a practice card.

+ Non-professional tour guides (Step-on Guide) are tourism collaborators that businesses hire under contract to guide tourists. They can be scientists, foreign language teachers, writers, journalists, artists... who have knowledge of certain routes and tourist destinations that tourists need to learn about. They also have the ability to guide tours, have the ability to apply

flexible with customers like professional tour guides. They are often hired according to the tourist season or work freelance at certain tourist destinations and routes or are hired to introduce to tourist groups who need to research in depth about some fields. Which tour guides can guide customers to choose the entire tour program or lead customers within a certain area depending on the signed contract.

+ City Guide is a person who guides tourists on a tour of the city, usually by public transport such as buses, taxis, cyclos, etc. The tour guide is responsible for introducing and commenting on the city's notable attractions, and explaining to the tourists their questions about things they consider "strange" on the route.

+ Onsite Guide is a person who guides tourists on a tour for a certain number of hours at specific tourist attractions. For example: Guiding tourists to visit the ancient city of Rome, guiding tourists to visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, a tour guide in Hue guiding tourists to visit the Imperial City, mausoleums... are also considered onsite guides.

* Tour guides can also be classified in another way: tour guides throughout the route and local guides.

+ Tour guides are professional tour guides whose job is to guide tourists throughout the tour, from the time of picking up the guests until the time of seeing them off, and are the ones who are primarily responsible for implementing the tour program of the group according to the contract. Tour guides of this type are usually people from tourism businesses (especially travel agencies and organizations).

+ Local tour guides are tour guides at certain tourist attractions or in a certain city whose job is to guide tourists at tourist attractions or in the city, not to follow tourists throughout the entire tour that they have purchased. Tour guides at the destination also need to have knowledge about the subject.

Current situation and solutions to enhance the capacity of tour guide team at Xuyen A Tourism and Trade Joint Stock Company - 2

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