Home

   Back to
   Home Business Ideas

Do you live in a city or town that attracts large numbers of tourists?  If so, and you enjoy meeting new people, have you considered setting up shop as a personal tour guide?

To start, you obviously need to have an intimate knowledge of the places of interest in your area as well as some knowledge of its history.  Some cities or towns will lend themselves well to a walking tour of the city center while others will require some form of motorized transportation to ferry your guests to the various points of interest.  Be prepared to recommend particular restaurants, hotels, theatres and the like.  Your guests will see you as an authority on the area and will be likely to ask for your recommendations.

To generate custom for your tour guide service, target travel agents in your area as well as relocation consultants.  If you are aware of any major businesses in your area who frequently entertain overseas business colleagues, approach them with an outline of your services.  Often, overseas businesspeople travel with their spouses and your service would be a welcome complement to their itineraries.  Also target convention organizers.  Quite often, spouses of convention delegates would prefer to spend their time sightseeing rather than hanging around the convention or the hotel pool.

Design and have a brochure printed and leave copies in places you think people looking for tour guides will frequent including tourist information centers and hotels.  Leave your brochures with the concierge.