Of course, a country’s brand is created with the aim of attracting tourists. But besides this, a number of factors influence the increase in the number of tourists: the remoteness of the country, the level of security, the presence of developed infrastructure, the number of major events held and many others.
There is no universal formula for creating a country brand that would help attract a certain percentage of tourists to the country, emphasizes Igor Blagodarsky. In each case, brand promotion is supported by real changes in the country.
The brand’s work with internal audiences plays almost the main role. It is the residents of the country and companies working in the field of tourism and beyond that will create the experiences that the country’s brand promises to its guests
Which countries' branding is the most striking, conceptual and memorable?
One example is Iceland. Since the 2010s, it has experienced a tourism boom with double-digit annual tourist growth. The concept of a country brand is an offer to be inspired by a unique and mysterious lifestyle. This message was actively promoted in social networks and on YouTube. The brand's communication initiative turned out to be so infectious that a series of Iceland Academy videos launched a wave of others, already created by Icelanders themselves. As a result, a country that was previously associated with ice and a volcano unpronounceable name, has become one of the most sought-after destinations for travelers from Europe and North America, and annual GDP per capita increased in 9 years from $5,000 to $45,000.
Among the countries of the former USSR, perhaps the most interesting example is Georgia. It attracted the attention of tourists from European countries and reactivated the flow of tourists from Russia. According to open data, the contribution of tourism to the country’s GDP today is 18%.
By the way, a city can also be a brand. In 2010, our agency developed a brand for Melbourne that presented the city as the creative and progressive capital of Australia. After two years of branding, the city's GDP grew by 10% to $56.8 billion, and revenue from external tourism increased by 5% to $3.4 billion.
Most recently, we presented the idea of a new brand for Azerbaijan - “Look in a New Way”. The brand's visual identity consists of two figures that together form an icon stylized as a capital letter "a", symbolizing Azerbaijan.
A new visual symbol is a lens that allows you to see more, look at a place and its culture from a different perspective
What components does a country’s “brand book” consist of?
The brand book itself is not the goal of any branding project. The brand book only formalizes all strategic and conceptual developments and decisions within the project, and their list depends on the tasks at hand.
When developing the positioning of a tourist destination, special attention is paid to the target audience and the opportunities that the country already has. I'm talking about infrastructure, human resources, cultural attractions, business opportunities, transport accessibility.
It is also worth noting that the brand’s work with internal audiences plays almost the main role. It is the country's residents and companies (both in and outside of tourism) who will create the experiences that the country's brand promises to its guests. The brand must inspire local residents, which will further help spread a positive image around the world.
What was the most difficult thing in creating the Azerbaijan brand?
Meet deadlines. We started working on the project in July and knew that on November 5th the brand had to be presented to the general public at the World Travel Market in London. Taking into account fairly strict timing, we built our processes so that time does not affect quality. To achieve this, our team of experts from different countries (including potential markets of Azerbaijan) worked intensively on the territory of Azerbaijan. In addition, the client’s team assisted us with work processes and brilliantly organized our trip to the country.
In a fairly short time, we were able to study the historical and cultural background of the country, the thinking and way of life of people, vision of the future, and opportunities to stand out in a competitive environment. This created a truly strong and credible positioning idea and a vibrant and vibrant brand.
What distinguishes the Azerbaijan brand from other eastern countries, for example, from Turkey, which also focuses on hospitality, natural diversity, centuries-old culture and the like?
Hospitality, natural diversity and centuries-old culture in themselves are not unique advantages. The uniqueness lies in the details and nuances, about which you can have a long separate conversation. And the mission of the Azerbaijan brand is to give guests a taste of these details, and for the residents of the country to do everything so that they are proud of them.
One of the key challenges for the country was that people know very little about it (even in the countries of the former Union there are certain stereotypes about Azerbaijan that are far from reality). However, this also became an advantage. The Azerbaijan brand invites people to discover the mysterious essence of the country, turning travel into a kind of exploration.
Igor Blagodarsky
What are the statistics: travelers from which countries visit Azerbaijan? What are the expectations - will the new brand change the situation?
Tourists mainly come to Azerbaijan from Russia, the republics of the former Union and Iran. Recently there has been an increase in interest in the Middle East. The main goal of the brand is to stimulate an increase in flows from these markets, as well as attract the interest of tourists from Europe.
In 2017, the country welcomed 2.6 million tourists who spent more than $1.3 billion, propelling the country into the top tier of the world's fastest growing tourist destinations. The goal of the Azerbaijan Tourism Council is to double their number by 2023 and make tourism the second most important sector of the country’s economy.
Vitaly Karpinchik, resident of Slonim, host of weddings and corporate events, professional traveler and accompanying tourist groups
In the column “Three Ideas for Slonim,” our compatriots share their thoughts on how to make our city more attractive to tourists. Today Slonim resident Vitaly Karpinchik offers his ideas.
There is no effective recipe for how to make Slonim, like any other place, touristic. Not a single idea that seems very successful and even brought to life will guarantee that tourists will pour into the city in droves. First of all, the residents of Slonim themselves should want and be interested in more tourists coming to the city, and not only want, but also advertise their city themselves and invite guests. And for this, Slonim residents need to know and love their city, its sights, and history. Because increasing the interest of tourists in our city can only be achieved through our own love for our city. Only our love and concern, our hospitality, coupled with event tourism, could give quick results.
Vitaly Karpinchik
1. Hold an official Guests Day
Tourism and hospitality are concepts that are very closely interrelated. Therefore, I would propose holding an official Day of Guests in Slonim. Slonim would become the only city in the Republic of Belarus where such a holiday would be held.
Discounts in cafes and restaurants on this day, free visits to museums, half the cost of travel on buses - all this would indicate our respect for guests and our hospitality. The residents of Slonim could have a day off on this day.
This idea might work. People would understand that this is a great day to invite friends from other cities. In addition, we have many sister cities in different countries. Therefore, Guests Day could be an excellent occasion to invite delegations from these cities.
Gnomes - the symbol of Wroclaw
2. Come up with a brand symbol for Slonim
The topic of city branding has been trendy lately. For example, several years ago, as a graduation project, a Belarusian designer made symbols for Belarusian cities, basing the visual images of cities on the historical aspect. So, the symbol of Soligorsk became a crystal, Smorgon - a bear.
Polish Wroclaw, for example, is considered not only a city of bridges and students, but also a city of gnomes. Gnomes have become a full-fledged symbol of Wroclaw and are loved not only by city residents, but also by tourists. People believe that they bring good luck and prosperity to the city.
The first figurine of a bronze gnome appeared in Wroclaw in 2001. Now sculptures of fairy-tale gnomes, about 400 of them, are scattered throughout the city center. Tourists' search for small city residents turns into an exciting quest: after all, inconspicuous figures are found in the most unexpected places, even on a lamppost. Moreover, each gnome has its own meaning and profession. For example, at the station you will be met by a traveler gnome with suitcases, and at the entrance to a cafe a friendly gnome will invite you to have lunch.
The residents of Slonim could come up with a similar brand symbol, based on some local legend or historical fact. To do this, you just need to invite caring residents who truly love their city to a round table.
The production and installation of such a symbol of the city could be timed to coincide with the above-mentioned Guest Day, and over time there would be more distinctive signs and symbols in the city.
3. Make the shortest street one of the city’s business cards
In the center of Slonim there is a very short street that leads from the square to the synagogue - Pereskok Lane, which was noticed quite recently. This lane could become one of the smallest and narrowest streets in Belarus, if, of course, it is played out correctly.
In Amsterdam, for example, there is a narrow street on which it is difficult for even two people to pass each other. Nevertheless, this is the most visited place in this city.
And in conclusion, I note that no one will go to our city to see the sights or celebrate unique holidays if its residents themselves do not do this and do not attend these very holidays.
READ
Where to get tourists from? For an individual entrepreneur who has decided to start receiving tourists, it is advisable to start his business by looking for a tour operator to whom he can offer his services for accommodating arriving tourists.
Owner guest house offers accommodation services for tourists, and also provides voice-over services additional services selected tour operator. The tour operator, in turn, enters into a joint activity agreement with the owner of the guest house, which specifies the form of remuneration for the tour operator for finding tourists for the guest house. In this case, the owner receives the right to enter into an agreement with other tour operators and travel agents for the supply of tourists. It is recommended to go into detail on these details, since often rural residents are unaware of the responsibilities associated with working with people. Contractual work with an experienced tour operator disciplines the owner of the guest house and provides the opportunity to improve skills in the field of tourism.
Work on creating a tourism product for rural tourism.
In order to attract tourists to a rural family on vacation, it is necessary to offer them a range of services necessary to meet the needs of vacationers. A tourism product is a set of services consisting of accommodation, food, excursion services, insurance and delivery. By the beginning of the year, the organizer accumulates information about what services each guest house can provide. In addition, the tour operator usually develops additional special tours to make the villagers’ offer attractive.
Work to promote tourism products on the travel services market.
Now it is necessary to make sure that potential consumers know about the villagers’ proposals. For this purpose, the tour operator produces advertising information (brochures, descriptions, photographs). The main advertising material is the catalog of objects rural tourism, which describes and shows each guest house. The catalog is published in sufficient circulation so that travel agencies in various cities can clearly show guest houses to clients. The tour operator also bears the costs of participating in tourism exhibitions and working meetings of travel companies in different cities of Russia. The tour operator is recommended to publish a website about rural tourism on the Internet. Thus, information about a rural tourist site can reach a resident of any country. The tour operator is also engaged in external advertising of rural tourism objects, finds funds for advertising on billboards and in various information service centers for tourists.The owner of the property can attract tourists to his guest house himself. To do this, he can put a sign on the road to his house.
Organization of reception of tourists.
Meeting, registration, acquaintance with local conditions. Reservations for a guest house are usually made in advance by a tour operator. Therefore, it is necessary to meet the guest at the agreed place and escort him to the guest house. If a guest arrives on own car, then, having placed his car on a personal plot or in a garage, you should begin the registration procedure. If the guest arrived through a tour operator, then he presents a voucher (developed by the tour operator), filled out by the travel agency and certified by a seal, and a ticket. These documents contain enough information necessary to issue your own receipt - Strict Reporting Form. One copy of the receipt is given to the guest, one copy remains with the owner. Based on this receipt, the owner makes a later entry in his income book. If the guest arrived on his own, the owner asks him to present documents and issues a receipt (BSO), indicating the necessary information. A clear written agreement included in the binding relationship between the guest house and the tourist will significantly facilitate future relations. Next, the owner introduces the guest and his group to the guest house, the rules of residence, fire safety requirements, shows where the keys, trash can, etc. are located. It is also recommended to inform guests about local conditions, travel schedules regular buses, natural objects, cultural and other events.
What is meant by the ability to treat guests attentively and kindly?
The ability to be a flexible Host and quickly make changes to the equipment of the house depending on the composition of the group of guests (install a child’s bed, make ramps for moving a wheelchair, install or remove sleeping places, provide skewers, etc.)
Having an agreement with other villagers to provide additional services to their guests, if these services are not provided centrally
Ability to resolve conflict situations (search for and find the cause of trouble within yourself)
Maintaining a joyful atmosphere in your guest house.
Attention to the slightest request of guests (change a towel once again, dry laundry soaked by a child, make a phone call, etc.)
Ability to take into account any comments made by guests
Striving to improve the quality of services
Accommodation.
Temporary accommodation is the main service provided by all guest houses. Comfort and convenience are the main criteria for the quality of services in the field of rural tourism. Guest rooms and other residential and utility rooms must be kept clean and free of unpleasant odors. If it is not up to the owner of the guest house to eliminate external and internal sources of noise and odor, then guests should be warned about this. IN summer time Windows and vents must have insect screens. Be sure to warn the guest that smoking is prohibited in the guest house. It is advisable to have internal rules for using the guest house (Appendix No. 1), drawn up by the owner.
Nutrition.
For self-cooking, guests are provided with an equipped kitchen. The kitchen must be impeccably clean and have the necessary equipment (kitchen furniture, refrigerator, cabinet for storing food and dishes, electrical appliances). Cooking by the homeowner is not a rental or short-term accommodation service.
Resolution of conflicts and controversial issues.
In any business, conflict or near-conflict situations may arise. Tourists are, first of all, consumers who pay to have a pleasant, interesting, most comfortable and tireless pastime. Near-conflict situations are generated by a significant difference between the expectations of the tourist and his specific impressions received from the trip and accommodation. For example, the cost of guest house services seemed overpriced to the tourist in the absence of the necessary household sanitary and hygienic conditions (no hot water, cold toilet in the yard, etc.). Such situations may arise when the owner receives guests on his own. They do not arise if tourists come from an experienced tour operator or travel agent, who warn the tourist in advance about all the nuances of the guest house. Conflict situations are associated with so-called “difficult” clients, which include overly demanding guests. But the practice of receiving guests in “green houses” in Altai shows that such situations happen very rarely, because the owners of “green houses” treat guests attentively and hospitably.
Guest house owners need to remember that their economy is not a separate entity of the tourism industry. It, like any other hotel, is in close cooperation with the tour operator and travel agent, who are also responsible for their obligations. Maintaining the reputation of a good and reliable partner is the key to the further prosperity of the guest house owner’s business.
Additional guest house services.
The standard set of services in rural guest houses usually includes only accommodation. To attract tourists on the territory of the Altai Republic, a basic set of guest house services has been adopted, the provision of which by the owner is mandatory: accommodation, provision of an equipped kitchen, provision of a bathhouse once (if paid for at least three days of stay), car parking on the territory of the personal plot, greenery from the garden. All these services are included in the price of your stay. The remaining paid services are considered additional, which are necessary to increase competitiveness. The composition of additional services is determined by the owner independently, depending on the demand from the client. It is recommended to use such services as “Firing a bathhouse with the provision of a broom”, “Horse riding”, “Sale of farm products”, “Transport services in the owner’s own car (car rental)”, “Use of firewood for cooking barbecue and fireplace” , “Providing a telephone for long-distance calls”, “Placing a guest’s car in the home owner’s garage”, “Accepting dogs (pets)”.
Pricing and mutual settlements.
Prices for guest house services are divided into retail (final for the client) and wholesale (for intermediate links).
Retail prices
If a tourist contacts the owner of the guest house directly, the retail price may fluctuate depending on their agreement.
- Retail prices must remain consistent at any point of sale if tourists are attracted through travel agents or tour operators. In other words, if the client arrived through intermediaries (from travel agencies, from a tour operator), he should receive the same price information as he received from the intermediaries. In this case, contractual terms are observed and business partners are not “set up.” This is the main condition for all participants in the chain. Subject to the agreement to maintain a single price for the services of the guest house, the flow of tourists is not cut off, since they are systematically dealt with in the cities.
Wholesale prices(net prices) for guest house services are billed to tour operators and travel agents who include guest house services in their tourism product. Since it is these partners who are engaged in expensive advertising, they must have income when selling accommodation in guest houses that covers their expenses. This income is called agency fees or commissions in tourism. This is usually 10% of the placement price. Wholesale prices fluctuate depending on the season, on the partner’s contribution to advertising rural tourism, and on sales volume. If the owner of the property has established a strong business relationship with a travel agency that does not forget him and constantly sends clients, then it is possible to increase the reward from 12% to 30%.
This approach is most appropriate: the owner of the guest house develops flexible retail prices for different seasons and includes an intermediary commission, which can be 10 - 30%. These prices are then offered to different firms. In this case, the owner will not get confused, and all his guests will receive the same information from him.
Important: if the owner of a guest house tells guests that he is ready to accept them at a lower cost next time if they come directly, then he is depriving his partners of income, who will eventually find out about this and stop working with him.
Therefore, each guest house owner must decide for himself how he will attract tourists: through intermediary partners or carry out independent advertising activities. A choice needs to be made here. If both types of work are used, then one must firmly fulfill one’s obligations to partners.
As long as the owner of the house is an entrepreneur who does not have a safety certificate for tourist accommodation, he does not have the legal right to advertise his services. Travel agencies that care about their reputation will not enter into contracts with such an entrepreneur, since in this case the safety of tourists is not ensured and, as a result, if an accident occurs with the client, the company that sent the tourist to such a vacation spot will be responsible.
Mutual settlements are made as follows:
- If a tourist has paid for a trip at a city travel agency, then the tour operator receives money at the cash desk or to his bank account by depositing or transferring cash and also pays the owner.
- If a tourist comes directly to the owner of the guest house, then the owner is obliged to transfer the due portion of the income to the tour operator.
The basic principle is that payment occurs at the beginning of the tourists’ vacation. The owner should take into account that the money received finally becomes earned after the tourist’s departure, if his vacation ends successfully. If the vacation is long, then it is better to take payment in installments. Payment for additional services of the guest house remains entirely at the disposal of the owner of the property; the organizer is not responsible for their quality. This circumstance must be specified in the agreement between the guest house and the tour operator.
Pricing issues are complex and controversial. Therefore, they must be completely clear for both parties. There is a law in economics: whoever earns more bears greater responsibility. When hosting guests through a tour operator, the owner's share is usually much larger than the tour operator's share. Therefore, if a tourist files a complaint (a complaint about service with a demand to compensate for damage), the owner of the guest house will reimburse a large share.
Nadezhda Makatrova
How to attract tourists and become a tourism brand in Russia
If you want the world to change, become that change.
Mahatma Gandhi
Every obstacle is overcome with perseverance.
Leonardo da Vinci
Preface
How can we attract tourists? How not to get lost among thousands of proposals from other cities and countries? How to convince Russians that you can relax in comfort in Russia, and that a small town far from the Russian capitals is not necessarily a “hole”?
As the practice of recent years shows, these questions can be heard at all conferences, round tables and forums dedicated to the development of tourism in Russia. They are also heard during our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations from different parts of the country. And these questions concern not only officials, but also heads of travel agencies, owners of hotels and restaurants, directors of museums, sanatoriums and even local residents who rent out their living space to vacationers...
So what to do? “Take an example from Myshkin!” – this dangerous advice is repeated, like a broken record, by various “gurus”. Myshkin is a wonderful city, but, firstly, its strategy is not suitable for everyone (Myshkin has about 6 thousand inhabitants), and secondly, it is pointless to copy the tip of the iceberg without seeing and understanding everything that is hidden from view in thicker than water.
Three or four years ago, participants in tourism exhibitions representing Russian cities and regions said: “All we need is money for advertising, and people will come to us!” Money was allocated, tourists did not come... Today there is a more professional understanding that attracting tourists is not so much advertising, but a whole task system, which need to be addressed at the territorial level. And this book is a story about who should solve these problems and how, what mistakes and pitfalls there may be, what resources can be used in the work and how to place emphasis. And of course, examples of success.
The book “How to attract tourists and become a tourism brand in Russia” is based on an analysis of the experience accumulated in Russia and the CIS, both successful and unsuccessful, as well as the experience of some foreign countries in developing tourism and promoting the territory in the tourism market. In addition, some observations and conclusions made while working on projects of the consulting company “Konkretika” served as material for the book.
This book is methodical, sometimes unpleasant and even offensive, since it tells not only about the opportunities and hidden potential of Russian cities and regions, but also about their typical mistakes and shortcomings. But the main value of the book, in my opinion, is specific practical recommendations that explain WHAT need to be done and HOW do, as well as 420 real-life examples, providing rich soil for your own ideas and solutions.
I hope the book will become your assistant in your work. Have a productive reading!
Nadezhda Makatrova,
Director of the consulting company "Konkretika"
Tourism brand: to be or not to be?
Fate leads those who want to go, and drags those who do not want to go.
Cleanthes, ancient Greek philosopher (IV-111 centuries BC)
In the Soviet Union they had not heard of brands. But at the same time, all citizens of our huge and multinational country firmly knew that:
If you want to go to the sea, then you need to go to Black Sea coast Caucasus or Crimea. With small children - to Anapa or Evpatoria;
If there are no vouchers to the Black Sea, then to the Azov Sea, to Yeisk;
The intelligentsia preferred the Baltic states;
If you need treatment, the direct route is to the Caucasian Mineral Waters sanatorium;
For lovers of excursions and cultural and historical values - Moscow, Leningrad, the cities of the Golden Ring and, perhaps, Pskov and Novgorod;
Military-patriotic education - Volgograd with its famous Mamayev Kurgan.
All Soviet people also knew about Baikal and Kamchatka, but they didn’t even dream of getting there - the flight was too expensive for a simple Soviet family to afford. Here they are - real tourism brands, created, by the way, with strong support from the state...
Of course, there were many others in the USSR interesting places and routes - “hits” on a district and regional scale, where they were constantly sent excursion groups from schools, universities, enterprises and institutions, but they could not compete with the all-Union “grandees”.
25 years have passed since perestroika...
Today, if you look at the MITT or Intourmarket exhibition in Moscow, you can see hundreds, if not thousands, of new tourist sites and routes across the country on stands. One is better than the other, with intriguing descriptions and amazing photographs. It would seem that new times mean new names.
No matter how it is!
Ask an ordinary Russian which cities or resorts in our country he considers the most popular among tourists, and you will most likely receive the same list. True, Crimea and the Baltic states (as foreign countries) will have to be deleted from it, and St. Petersburg will take the place of Leningrad. Allow your interlocutor to include foreign resorts in the list, and Türkiye and Egypt are guaranteed to be in the first place. I'm talking about mass routes. Skiers will usually call it Elbrus, fishermen will call it Astrakhan.
"How so? Why? Russia's tourism potential is not limited to 10–15 popular routes?! We have two orders of magnitude more of them!” – one of the readers will be indignant. The potential may not be limited, but the perception of tourists, according to the laws of marketing, is, alas, not rubber. The law states: the number of bright, memorable images on the market is limited. I recommend that you re-read the highlighted phrase two more times.
It is only at first glance that it seems that it is enough to come up with “something original” and you will be noticed. You can come up with anything you want, but here’s the question:
– Will they remember this (against the background of competitors’ proposals)?
– Will they buy it (by comparing different offers)? And buy not just one season, but at least ten years in a row.
For clarity, I will give two useful analogies.
1. Each class has its own “excellent student,” “low student,” “clown,” “athlete,” and its own “beauty.” And sometimes - your own “outcast” (remember the film “Scarecrow”). It is very problematic to characterize all other children in terms of their role in the class.
2. In the 90s, many different stores and shops opened in Russian cities, and today most of them “died”, giving way to online players. By the way, in Europe about 80% of goods are sold through chain stores.
What is the conclusion from this in relation to tourism?
In five years, a new pool of tourism brands of all-Russian significance will be formed in Russia. It is clear that Moscow and St. Petersburg will automatically retain their leadership positions due to their exceptional starting opportunities (just as there are three main TV channels in the country and... all the others). Our resorts will also be in a privileged position. warm seas(unless sudden climate change occurs). And who else will be included in the list of the strongest remains in question for now...
If the heads of the cities and regions mentioned at the beginning had actively developed during the 25 years of perestroika, and had not relied on the tourist resources accumulated over previous decades, then everyone else would not have been destined to catch up with them in the foreseeable future. However, they remembered the development only 5-7 years ago, thereby giving their neighbors a chance.
The importance of getting into the leader pool is illustrated by the Zipf curve (Zipf)
Figure 1
Zipf distribution (Zipf)
Those cities and regions that find themselves at the tail of this curve may not count on anything serious... Perhaps they don’t need this, and tourism for them is like birch sap in an ordinary grocery store: they hardly take it, but they have it for assortment .
At the same time, our conversations with representatives of local and regional administrations indicate that in many parts of Russia they take tourism seriously, hoping with its help to give a new impetus to the development of the territory and replenish the budget. For this purpose, short-term and long-term programs are being developed everywhere, new tourism brands are announced, advertising catalogs are printed, exhibitions and presentations are held, journalists are invited, etc.
Why can’t many cities and regions make a breakthrough and significantly increase the tourist flow? What needs to be changed at work? Subsequent chapters of the book will be devoted to a detailed answer to these questions, but here I will only outline the key points.
During the tour, do tourists get distracted, stop listening and look around, and not at all where you are pointing? This situation occurs quite often, so every guide needs to master techniques for attracting attention.
1. Tailor the material for your specific audience
This advice is often perceived one-sidedly: only age differences are taken into account. Accordingly, they construct a story for a child and an adult in different ways. However, it is also worth making adjustments to the narrative related to the clients’ professional activities or hobbies. A site for meeting tourists and guides will help you find out this information: when arranging an excursion, not only answer the traveler’s questions, but ask him yours.
2. Use acting and public speaking techniques
Nothing contributes more to the distraction of tourists than the monotonous speech of a guide and the absence of gestures. Therefore, use various means of expression from the arsenal of speakers and artists:
- play with intonation and tempo of speech: switch from a cheerful patter to a sincere tone, emphasize important phrases with your voice, etc.;
- talk about sad and joyful events with appropriate emotions;
- take pauses between semantic blocks of the narration, otherwise listeners will stop assimilating what was said;
- support your speech with gestures: express emotions with them, point to interesting objects.
3. Make “lyrical digressions”
Allow yourself to periodically be distracted from the topic: tell about some everyday details, love stories, fascinating incidents. Of course, digressions should be connected to your narrative in one way or another. Such “sketches” maintain interest in what is happening.
The personal approach works well. Your admiration, rejection or surprise at some historical character or event will be remembered by tourists for a long time. Just do not use this method in a story about modern realities, so as not to provoke a conflict.
4. Ask questions
You shouldn’t turn a tour into a lecture when only the “teacher” speaks. In such a situation, listeners become distracted very quickly. Encourage discussion by asking clients what they know about the events, structures, and characters in your story. This will force people to get involved in what is happening, activate their memory, which means no one will look around and ignore the guide.
5. Make jokes
Don't be too serious when walking with clients: delight them with historical anecdotes, funny cases from practice, funny comparisons. Laughter allows you to relieve tension and listen to the guide with renewed vigor. And “on-topic” humor also helps to remember information: tourists will soon forget dry facts, but a joke will remain in their memory for a long time.
6. Use electronic technology
They will help you maintain interest modern gadgets: tablets, netbooks, smartphones. The most fruitful work with them is on personal excursions, because in a group of 30-40 people it is unlikely that everyone will see what is happening on the screen. And when communicating face-to-face, this method is effective.
