Canada Welcomes Foreign Tour and Travel Guides
Under New ELMO Pilot Project
A new Expedited Labor Market Opinion (ELMO) pilot project makes it easier for tour and travel guides to enter Canada as temporary workers. In Canada, tour and travel guides lead groups and individuals on sightseeing excursions in cities, parks, historical sites, famous neighborhoods or buildings and theme parks. Along the way, they answer questions and provide interesting facts and background information. Tour operators, resorts, theme parks and other establishments are the types of businesses currently seeking tour and travel guides.
Tour and Travel Guide Duties
According to ELMO, tour and travel guides in Canada typically are called upon to:
- Lead individuals or groups on tours of various environments, such as buildings, neighborhoods, parks, waterways or historical sites
- Provide background information, historical trivia and other facts related to the site
- Answer questions from people on the tour
- Collect admission and sell souvenirs and mementos
- Confirm reservations and work out scheduling conflicts or concerns
- Research various points of interest
- Memorize scripts and other information about the tour
Tour and Travel Guide Qualifications
ELMO specifies that tour and travel guides who want to work in Canada should have:
- A high school diploma or equivalent
- Fluency in at least one of Canada's official languages (tour and travel guides who are fluent in both English and French have an advantage)
Most tour and travel companies provide on-the-job training for prospective tour and travel guides.
Tour and Travel Guide Wages
According to ELMO, wages for tour and travel guides can earn anywhere between $12.65-$14.75/hour. The highest wages are available in northern British Columbia. The lowest wages are in British Columbia's Thompson/Okanagan/Kootenay region.
If you would like to learn more about the ELMO pilot project and/or working as a tour and travel guide in Canada, we encourage you to visit the official ELMO web site.
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