National Certificate in Tourism (Tour Guiding) - Level 4

This qualification is intended for people employed as tour guides, either at an attraction, or during an excursion.

People awarded this qualification are able to provide a range of services such as visitor interpretation, group management, and tour leadership. They will be able to provide services such as interpretation while on a tour, attend to administrative tasks both before and after a tour, and manage the health and safety of a tour group. In addition, they will be able to demonstrate knowledge of New Zealand as a destination for tourists.

The elective section recognises that tour guides work in a wide range of individual tourism enterprises and allows candidates to select standards that closely reflect the situation and needs of their workplace. The electives include standards in Business, Outdoor Recreation, Communication, Languages, and the field Māori. The elective options are intended to provide candidates with choices appropriate to their workplace and personal
interests, but which also support the objectives of tour guiding.

This qualification is designed to build on the National Certificate in Tourism (Core Skills) (Level 3) [Ref: 0876]. It may lead on to further qualifications in the Tourism field, such as the National Diploma in Tourism (Management) (Level 5) [Ref: 0473]. An optional strand in Extended Tour Guiding is available for those wishing to specialise in guiding tourists on trips lasting more than one day. Candidates awarded with the strand are able to demonstrate knowledge of teamwork and leadership skills, conduct arrival and departure transfers for visitors, and apply tour group leadership skills and group leadership skills, relevant to extended tour guiding.