Showing Visitors Around Town? Here Are Some Useful English Phrases

My city gets a lot of tourists from all over the world. I have studied English since primary school, so I can speak it pretty well. I am thinking of becoming a tour guide and would like some tips.

–Hugo

Of all the team members at my company, I speak English the best. This means it’s always my job to greet English-speaking guests and show them around our city. Sometimes I take them to popular tourist sites, but the main goal is to give them a positive feeling about doing business here. So I take them to see our tech centers, office buildings, and manufacturing facilities in addition to doing the fun stuff.
There’s a major tech convention coming up soon, so I will be dealing with MANY visitors from English-speaking countries. I am feeling overwhelmed right now!

–Kei

Maybe you want to be a professional tour guide like Hugo, or perhaps you’re a business professional showing international guests around your city like Kei. Either way, you want to give your visitors a positive experience. In this article, we’ll present some useful English phrases and strategies you can use before, during, and after a tour or city visit to help your guests feel at home.

1. Welcome your guests and set expectations

First impressions matter. A warm, professional welcome will help your guests feel comfortable, especially if English is not their first language.

Begin by introducing yourself. Give your name and a line or two about your background. If you are hosting business clients, mention how long you have been with your company and what your role is.

Here are some other polite phrases you can use when welcoming guests:

• Welcome to _______, everyone! Thank you for joining us today.
• It’s great to have you here.
• I hope you’re enjoying your time in ________ so far.
• Our team at XXX Company welcomes you! Before our meeting, we have planned a brief tour of the city.

Visitors feel more relaxed when they know what to expect, so give them a brief outline of the day’s agenda.

• Today, we’ll visit the nature center and tour the oldest neighborhood in the city.
• The tour will last about two hours.
• We’ll take a short break halfway through.
• We will make a stop at a shop where you can buy souvenirs.
• After we visit the historical museum, I will show you our new office tower. This is where our company headquarters are located.
• Lunch is at 12:30, and then we’ll take the bus back to the convention center.

Tip: Speak slowly and pause between ideas. Clear English is better than complex English.

2. Give clear directions and transitions

Tours involve a lot of movement from place to place. Simple direction words and clear transitions will prevent your guests from getting lost!

• We’ll turn left here.
• The entrance to the convention center is just ahead.
• Watch your step here.
• Now, let’s move on to our next stop.
• Our next location is just a short walk from here, so please follow me.

3. Describe places and share information

You don’t need to sound like a history professor. Indeed, if your guests are not fluent English speakers, it’s better not to sound like a professor! Keep your sentences short and simple. The goal is to be interesting and easy to understand.

• This cathedral was built in the year 1701.
• This park one of the most popular places in the city.
• Many professionals come here for lunch.
• Some of the companies that have offices here are ________ and _________.
• This place is especially famous for ____________.

4. Engage your guests

A good tour is not a lecture. Ask questions to invite participation.

• Have you been here before?
• Is this your first time in the city?
• Does anyone have questions so far?
• Does that make sense?
• Is everyone okay with the pace?
• Please let me know if you need a break.

If you’re on a business tour, you can also ask your guests about the place where they work. Is it similar to your city, or is it different? Is there anything specific they would like to see while they are here?

 

5. Answer your guests’ questions, even when you’re not sure

Guests often ask unexpected questions. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers. You don’t need to know everything.

• That’s a good question. I’ll need to check.
• I don’t have that information right now, but I can find out.
• Let me confirm that for you later.
• I can follow up with you after the tour.
• There are some books at the gift shop that will have more information about this. We’ll be going there at the end of the tour.

6. Handle small problems politely

Sometimes things go wrong when you’re giving a tour. You might experience bad weather, delays, or misunderstandings.

• I’m sorry the bus has not arrived on time.
• Thank you for your patience.
• I apologize for the inconvenience.
• We’ll have to adjust our schedule slightly.
• Let’s move inside to stay warm.
• Because of the rain, we’ll be touring the conservatory instead of walking through the park.

These phrases are especially useful for business hosts who want to sound calm and capable.

7. End the tour on a positive note

A strong ending leaves a lasting impression on your guests.

• That brings us to the end of our tour.
• Thank you for spending your time with me today.
• I hope you enjoyed your visit.
• I hope this tour has given you a stronger sense of what life is like in our city.
• If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
• I’d be happy to recommend restaurants or places to visit.

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So far, we’ve been describing situations where you would be using spoken English rather than written English. However, your role as a tour guide may involve writing tour scripts or emails to international guests. If you are a business host, you will probably need to write even more emails, agendas, follow-up messages, and explanations.

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