On a hilltop above the city of Naha, Okinawa, where it is possible to see the Pacific Ocean on both sides of the island, two dozen guides gathered at Shuri Castle. Here, they learned to weave together a masterfully crafted story under the instruction of ATTA guide trainers Andres Diaz, John Connelly, and Gustavo Timo.
As part of a guide training program that was set up in partnership between the Japan Tourist Association and the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the guides spent five days working on skills such as guest interactions, safety, group management, and of course – storytelling. They also practiced opportunities for adding context and cultural interpretation in addition to strategies for adapting skills to a Western client base – all while providing a distinctly Japanese experience.
“When Western guests cross an ocean to come to Japan, there has to be something special and uniquely Japanese to welcome them,” said Yuki Kuniya, ATTA’s Business Manager for Asia. “The vision we are working towards now is to make adventure travel in Japan special through culture, hospitality, and a high-value guided experience.”
For many of us in tourism, our work is behind the scenes. From developing new itineraries to forming new partnerships or marketing destinations, most of the steps along the way will only ever be minimally known to the customer on the trip. Unlike those of us working in the background, guides are at the front lines. They develop deep connections and personal relationships with travelers in addition to representing our companies on the ground. Fostering this relationship requires empathy, connection, and cross-cultural understanding.
“To empathize with a guest, it’s important to first ask why they chose adventure,” said John Connelly, one of the guide trainers who has more than 50 years of guiding experience. “It could be discovery of the ‘real me’, stepping out of the comfort zone, appreciating something bigger than themselves, or engaging with people from different backgrounds, cultures and world-views.”
The skills of a guide have the profound ability to make or break the traveler experience. In short, a guide’s work matters immensely to the client’s value proposition they see in tourism. A traveler’s safety, happiness, understanding of culture, and perceived overall value of a trip are all in the expert care of the guide.
Since guides are foundational to our work in adventure tourism, investing in further training, recruiting, and skill development is an important step in assessing or improving destination readiness for sustainable travel. This is one of the many goals of AdventureEDU. As the educational program of ATTA, AdventureEDU includes both in-person and online training programs designed to help travel professionals develop and acquire skills – particularly to people and countries with less access to educational resources. This is particularly vital in regions where sustainable tourism development is still catching on.
“A guide is an advocate who can raise awareness about safeguarding natural resources and support initiatives that promote sustainability in their destinations” said Diaz. “The training was an opportunity for students to reflect and discuss what action they can implement in their products to make them more sustainable.”
The Japanese guides were conscientious students who arrived prepared and ready to learn. Diaz led the field trainings and flipped their roles, allowing the students to experience a traditional guided tour. During this time, they were instructed to take notes on what they would do differently, and then practice their own version while putting their ideas to the test. This experiential exercise allowed them to witness incremental improvements in real time, and for many students, the concept clicked once they were able to practice it.
Guides who gather together for further training create a spirit of collaboration and an environment of shared learning. Diaz commented that the trainers also learned from each of the participants, and the students learned from the instructors and one another. “For me, it was a very good learning from all of the local guides around Japan as one team in one location, as we are heading to the same goal everyday in different places,” said one student, Michiko Zentoh. “I see the bright future of Japanese tourism here with each of them.”
After several days practicing storytelling, learning safety and risk management, and discussing sustainability while hiking in the forested island of Okinawa, the training group headed northward to continue training a new set of guides for AdventureEDU Amami. Traveling by bike, we showed guides in Amami how to adapt their guided experiences for Western guests. This included workshop discussions and a moderated small group learning session in which students reflected on the customer experience and what moments could help set up for a “WOW Moment” during a guided tour. Tasked with assembling individual experiences to form a meaningful multi-day trip, students considered singular activities like a distillery tour and how it might fit into an overarching theme about the region.
AdventureEDU continued in Okinawa last week, with a new set of guides and more hands-on training. Since each guide potentially works with hundreds of guests throughout a year, Japan’s investment is strategic for the long-term quality of adventure tourism in Japan for thousands of Western guests.
“I see so much experience and talent [here at the AdventureEDU training]” said one of the students, Matthew Bennett. “Everyone has been kind and genuine. I’ve learned so much from all of you. I don’t like classroom learning, and I give credit to our teachers to allow for a framework to learn together as a team outdoors in nature.”
About AdventureEDU
AdventureEDU, the educational program of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, equips thousands of our members with the skills they need to advance their careers, improve their businesses, and make the world a better place through travel.
We equip thousands of our members with the skills they need to advance their careers, improve their businesses, and make the world a better place through travel. ATTA partners with destinations around the globe to offer tailored educational programs for destinations seeking to improve their adventure offering.
Other recent projects include a partnership with Tunisia to help businesses develop a marketing strategy through digital channels and in 2024, a news course on digital transformation for adventure travel businesses will be released. The course, which was developed in partnership with WeTravel, will be available in English and Spanish and aims to modernize operations with tools for tourism businesses to enhance the customer experience.
Want to learn more about partnering with AdventureEDU?
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