Company aims to teach tricks of trade
For those paying close attention, a debate raging on the letters to the editor page these last two months has not been the typical liberal versus conservative flame throwing. It’s between locals sparring over historical accuracy in the tour industry.
“Tourists would be better off reading about Savannah and taking themselves on a self-guided tour instead of paying to be misled and misinformed,” wrote Nancy Cunningham on Sept. 23, citing historical gaffes she’s overheard while walking by tour groups.
“Tourists don’t give a hoot about a SCAD building being correctly identified as a ‘U.S. Public Health Service Hospital’ or not,” responded Daniel Christian Bentley on Sept. 30. “Most of them are whining about the humidity and wishing they were day drinking, like the rest of us already are.”
On Oct. 25, Mickey Minick, owner of Old Savannah Tours, defended the industry and wrote that his company prioritizes accuracy.
“Our management team routinely rides with each guide to evaluate their consistency and presentation,” he wrote. “Our guides have chosen this profession and take their tours very seriously. They take great pride in ensuring their facts are accurate and our guests get a true taste of our city’s rich history.”
The letters are engaging, but the questions raised are fair. As Savannah’s tourism sector continues to grow, what is the best way to ensure professionalism and accuracy while balancing the need to be entertaining and innovative in a competitive field?
Phil Sellers, owner of Old City Walks, believes he has one solution. Sellers is soft-launching his new company the Tour Guide Institute this week, aimed at enhancing skills and training for industry newcomers.
“Having a tour guide license does not make you a tour guide,” said Sellers, who’s been in the industry for 12 years. “We teach people how to be professional tour guides.”
The test
At present, the city requires would-be operators to pass a $100, 100-question history test with 80 percent or higher. The exam has a reputation for being challenging and the city has a 100-page online manual to help test takers prepare — they also get three chances to pass.
Guides must then acquire a physician’s certificate and pass a criminal background check before receiving on-the-job training through their employer.
There are currently 330 permitted tour guides in the city, though not all of those are active. Part of the debate these last few months has centered on whether the licensing exam has outlived its utility. The test has been administered routinely since 1978 when City Council passed a tour service ordinance.
According to Bridget Lidy, Savannah’s tourism administrator, this is an issue they’re also actively looking into at the Tourism Management and Ambassadorship department.
“As part of this new office, one of the charges that we have is to go through and update all ordinances related to tour services,” said Lidy. “Part of that will look at the regulatory side of things like tour testing and processes to determine if we need to make changes.”
Lidy said she hopes tour guides and tour companies will participate in that process. A separate tourism survey currently underway will attempt to gauge local opinions on tourism development and possible improvements.
“There really hasn’t been a comprehensive review and assessment of what is in the document since 2006,” said Lidy.
Sellers said he takes no position on the current test, but said his classes will help guides with what comes before and after the exam.
“To become professional is to do your own research and not relying on what you’ve heard from other guides ... it’s really on yourself,” he said. “That’s exactly what we do, is train people how to take personal responsibility.”
Sellers said the problem right now is that after passing the test, some guides may not be getting complete training. He likens it to the elementary-school game of telephone.
“Some of the problems you’re seeing in the newspaper, criticizing tour companies, are coming from that type of problem, where guides rely on what the person who trained them was telling them, then that guy leaves,” said Sellers. “By the end, the story is not the same as it was when it started.”
Sellers said his classes are aimed at striking that balance between delivering facts and giving a good tour through an emphasis on people skills and public speaking. He said tourists are less concerned with knowing “what” year a certain structure was built than the “why” and “how.”
“Just because you’re a history aficionado doesn’t make you a great tour guide. ...Tour guiding is more than just history or entertaining. It’s a combination of skills,” he said.
Not that history is sidelined. Sellers will incorporate maps, videos and reading lists, with books like “Haunted Savannah,” written by James Caskey, owner of Cobblestone Tours and a noted history buff.
Michael Owens, president of the Tourism Leadership Council, said he supports Sellers’ efforts.
“Any time somebody is trying to educate and make parts of our industry a little better, I’m very supportive,” said Owens.
He said the letters to the editor had sparked a good conversation amongst the tourism community. The TLC maintains and publishes a “Savannah 101” history guide, free to all of its members in the hospitality industry, for a similar reason.
“The vast majority of tour operators are tourism professionals. They take care with the history they’re sharing ... and they understand fully the important role they play in the tourism community,” said Owens.
Sellers said he believes his classes will appeal to those looking for flexible part-time work as well as retirees and entrepreneurs. His classes begin at $339, which includes eight hours of classroom time and four hours of hands-on training.
After this initial run, he said, he plans to offer more classes after the beginning of the year.
“It’s all about raising the bar,” he said.
MORE INFO
For more information, go to tourguideinstitute.com