Updated September 2022 – You don’t want to be the tour guide that everyone dreads. The one that drones on and on about facts, figures and historical destinations that people will see along the way. We’ve all been on one of those tours before, trying to surreptitiously check our watches to count down the minutes until it’s over.

As a tour and activity provider, you want your tours to be fun, exciting, funny, and memorable. You want to be the guide that captivates a group of travelers from the first moment they step aboard the bus, and keep their attention until they are climbing out after a fun day of sightseeing. But writing your tour guide commentary can be a difficult task when you’re unsure what your customers are looking for when they sign up for your tour.

These tips will help you understand how to write a tour guide speech that ensures your customers will have a fun and memorable time.

Why is engaging commentary important for tour guides?

Knowing how to make a commentary in tour guiding that’s interesting and engaging is one of the key qualities of a good tour guide. Vivid storytelling and accurate historical accounts will improve the customer experience, and ultimately earn you a reputation for being a premier tour guide in the region. This will help increase your bookings and allow you to continue to grow your business through positive and genuine online reviews that actively drive more potential customers to your website.

What guests want out of tour guide commentary

Whether you’re wandering through the ruins of an ancient city or meandering through an art gallery while creating a live virtual tour, some things stay the same when it comes to what guests want out of tour guide commentary.

Here’s what you should keep in mind if you’re wondering how to write a tour script that captures everyone’s attention:

A sense of wonder

how to write a tour script

Make your travelers curious. Start the tour with questions and statements that evoke their interest and curiosity, such as “Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live in a beautiful castle on the coast of the sea? Well we are about to go to a building where there was drama, romance, crime, and passion.” Get them excited about where they are about to go, and let their imaginations run wild along the way.

An emotional rollercoaster

Instead of reciting facts and figures about certain buildings, tell them about the people who worked there. Use your tour commentary to explain the tragedies that happened in your little corner of the world. Allow your guests to feel anxious, excited, happy, sad, and nervous — right along with the characters that you are describing in your historical accounts.

Unexpected twists and turns

Shock them with a story they don’t expect. When you are visiting a famous monument in the city, people expect to hear about the creators, the history behind the construction and the specifications about the building itself. While these are important figures and you might want to incorporate them into your guide, you should also surprise your guests by telling a more personal story about the monument. A funny memory of a previous tour could get people laughing, or you could tell a little-known story about the history of the monument.

Tasteful humor

tour commentary

Whether it’s responding to customer comments with witty quips or inserting strange but amusing facts into your commentary, humor can transform an average tour into a memorable and fun experience. Laughing makes everyone feel good – including your customers. Sprinkling in a dose of good-natured humor is a fantastic way to engage people and ensure that your customers leave the experience feeling not only satisfied, but also singing your praises.

Historical facts

One of the main reasons people go on tours is to learn interesting facts that they wouldn’t be able to hear otherwise. Historical facts don’t always need to be framed by a long-winded story. Pointing out interesting details on your tour with a short, snappy historical fact is a great way to add flavor to the entire experience. The amount of historical information that you pepper into your tour commentary will ultimately wind down to your location and the type of tour itself. But even if you aren’t offering an official historical tour, the occasional fact can do wonders for engaging your audience.

Your own personality

Add your own personality to your tours. This is the most important aspect of storytelling. Be yourself, and let your own personality shine through. If you’re a little quirky, let that weirdness show. If you love to make people laugh, then tell jokes the entire way. Your personality is going to make or break the guided tour, so enjoy yourself while doing your job.
A summary of effective tour guide commentary: from start to finish
Need inspiration for transforming your first rough draft into a polished tour guide commentary script? Here is a walk-through of how to write a tour script that does your location justice.

Establish a “hero” to root for

how to make a commentary in tour guiding

People are drawn to stories about relatable characters. Creating or drawing on historical inspiration to craft a ‘hero’ character can allow you to trigger positive emotional reactions in your audience and contextualize the facts that you are sharing in your tour commentary.

Tie your stories to a theme

Disjointed stories about completely different topics can confuse audiences. When you’re writing your tour guide commentary, imagine you’re creating a collection of short stories connected by an overarching theme.

Focus on short and simple stories

It’s tricky to keep your attention focused on a long, complicated story when you’re submerged in a new environment that is brimming with exciting attractions and activities. Short and simple stories are more engaging and effective than lengthy narratives. Don’t ignore the power of a snappy and impactful story when writing your tour guide commentary.

Finish with a feel-good ending

Time to tie the experience together in a neat package wrapped up with a nice bow. A feel-good ending will ensure that everyone walks away from the tour with a solid understanding of what they learned and experienced.

Revise your script

how to write a tour guide speech

No great story was ever finalized without several rounds of editing. Ask your friends, family, and coworkers to read your commentary and provide feedback.

A comparison is also a handy tool that provides you with greater insights into areas that need improving. Consider writing multiple versions of your script and then comparing them to identify strengths to focus on and weaknesses to eliminate.

Recap

As your business grows, you might want to consider implementing an online booking system. By ensuring your online booking system creates an easy booking process, you’ll be setting positive expectations of customer satisfaction before the tour or activity even begins. With an online booking software in place, your customers will be able to self-book at their own pace in an efficient and secure manner.

For instance, Rezdy is an automated tour booking software and tour Channel Manager that is designed specifically for tour and activity providers. Rezdy’s booking software equips your business with advanced features such as real-time availability viewer, avoiding the possibility of over/double bookings, automatic communication to keep your customers updated in the loop of any updates and reminders, and secure payment gateways that allows your customers to make secure online payments on the spot.

On the other hand, Rezdy Channel Manager also amplifies your booking levels by connecting you with thousands of agents and resellers worldwide. By using a tour operator marketplace, you’ll be able to expand your reach and broaden your distribution channels to thousands of potential customers from around the world.

You can experience everything that Rezdy has to offer firsthand by starting your FREE 21-day trial or booking a demo with our team of experts to help you understand how Rezdy can fit within your business.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, where you’ll receive up-to-date resources; from marketing tips, business operation advice, and even the latest industry news.

Start getting more bookings

Enjoy 21 days to take a look around and see if we are a good fit for your business.

Get started now

No obligations, no catches, no limits, nada

activity tour business
section break
section break