Aquila’s Guide Excellence Program
An exclusive, customized training program for tour guides

The Reality
Tour Guides are the single most important factor in the guest experience. Their performance affects not just the guest experience on a particular tour, but also the reputation of the destination as a whole, as an encounter with a tour guide leaves the most lasting impression of a destination. To meet the increasing expectations of the cruise lines, no destination can afford to have guides who are any less than excellent.

The Vision
Through Aquila’s Guide Excellence Program, tour operators and destinations would achieve a sustainable level of excellence with their tour guides. In addition to training for the guides, the program includes a comprehensive “Train the Trainer” component, so that future training could be managed directly in the destination, ensuring sustainability of the level of excellence.

The Program
This program contains two components: Tour Guide Training & Certification and Train the Trainer.

• Tour Guide Training & Certification involves a two-day tour guide training program, followed by a written examination to test participants on practical knowledge and a “Mystery Shop” of each tour guide’s performance. Certification is attained upon successful completion of exam and on-the-job evaluation. The training program includes a workbook that combines information to study with exercises for each lesson, and lesson topics include Tourism Awareness, Professionalism, General Knowledge, Presentation, Procedures, Problem Solving, and other additional topics relevant to each unique destination.
• The Trainer the Trainer component includes assistance in identifying of potential trainers (usually from within the local tourist board, but could come from the group of tour guides) and delivering a half-day program to these new trainers, so future tour guides could be trained from within, following the same methods outlined above. Exams and evaluations would continue to come to Aquila and certification would continue to be issued through Aquila.

The Benefits
Customized for your organization or destination, your program will cover both standard tour guide topics and specific topics that are relevant to your unique situation. Both your guides and your trainers will be coached by industry experts, ensuring a sustainable level of Guide Excellence within your destination. Best of all, the cruise industry recognizes the Guide Excellence program as the training of choice for tour operators.

The Trainer
The Guide Excellence program is presented by Aquila Tours, a Canadian tour operator with 25 years of experience in the travel industry and 20 years of providing shore excellence to cruise lines and their passengers. With award-winning shore excursions and tour guides who were named best in the world by Dream World Cruise Destination magazine in 2003, Aquila is highly respected within the cruise industry and is often named as one of the best tour operators in the world by cruise executives. Their clients include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Crystal Cruises, P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises, and many more.

For more information about Aquila’s Guide Excellence program, contact Beth.