[Site name]

Tourist guide

Also called guide, city guide, tour guide

Tourist guides assist individuals or groups during travel or sightseeing tours or at places of touristic interest, such as museums, art facilities, monuments and public places. They help people to interpret the cultural and natural heritage of an object, place or area and provide information and guidance in the language of their choice.

Will there be jobs?Average prospects26 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Personal service workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €900 (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Personal service workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational6 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training. 7 in 10 train through vocational routes.Personal service workersWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.Travel guides · ILO

What you'd do

Travel guides · ILO
  • Escorting and guiding tourists on cruises and sightseeing tours
  • Escorting visitors through places of interest such as museums, exhibitions, theme parks, factories and other industrial establishments
  • Describing and providing information on points of interest and exhibits and responding to questions
  • Conducting educational activities for school children
  • Monitoring visitors' activities to ensure compliance with establishment or tour regulations and safety practices
  • Greeting and registering visitors and tour participants, and issuing any required identification badges or safety devices
  • Distributing brochures, showing audiovisual presentations, and explaining procedures and operations at tour sites
  • Providing for physical safety of groups, and performing activities such as providing first aid and directing emergency evacuations
  • Resolving any problems with tour itineraries, service, or accommodation
Monitor visitor toursAssemble visitor suppliesCollect visitor feesInform visitors at tour sitesSelect visitor routes+ 17 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • A mix of sitting and standing
  • Lots of contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Usually under 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines now and then
  • Varied tasks, little repetition
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Tour Guides and Escorts"

Will there be jobs?

Average prospects

A typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as personal service workers in the EU
10.21m10.63m10.46m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
3,074,000 replacing leavers 244,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Personal service workers26
All jobs29
Right now
4 of 27 countries report a shortage of travel guides, 11 a surplus.
Travel guides · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €900 a month (Bulgaria) to €3,900 (Denmark), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among service and sales workers in the EU, women earn 3% less per hour than men. Service and sales workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training in travel, tourism and leisure is the usual route.

Highest qualification of personal service workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 15%Vocational 46%General secondary 16%Basic schooling 23%
Fields that teach it
Travel, tourism and leisure · Earth sciences
Vocational route, EU
7 in 10 trainees in this field

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could help with only small parts of the tasks.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.32 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 9 tasks
Describing and providing information on points of interest and exhibits and responding to questions0.48
Greeting and registering visitors and tour participants, and issuing any required identification badges or safety devices0.43
Resolving any problems with tour itineraries, service, or accommodation0.39
Distributing brochures, showing audiovisual presentations, and explaining procedures and operations at tour sites0.30
Escorting visitors through places of interest such as museums, exhibitions, theme parks, factories and other industrial establishments0.30
Escorting and guiding tourists on cruises and sightseeing tours0.29
Monitoring visitors' activities to ensure compliance with establishment or tour regulations and safety practices0.28
Conducting educational activities for school children0.26
Providing for physical safety of groups, and performing activities such as providing first aid and directing emergency evacuations0.12

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for travel guides. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).