I. Introduction
Faced with such a large and diverse group of tourists with various needs, all scenic spots are thinking about how to enhance tourists' experience so that they can better appreciate the charm of the scenic spots and have wonderful memories of their trips. Among the many ways to improve tourists' experience, self-guided tours are gradually highlighting their unique and important roles. It is like a key that can help tourists open the door to in-depth understanding of the cultural, historical and other connotations of the scenic spots, making the tours more enriching and meaningful.
II. Diverse Forms of Self-guided Tours in Scenic Spots
(A) Common Self-guided Tour Equipment
In scenic spots, there are various self-guided tour equipment for tourists to choose from. With different appearance features and usage scenarios, they meet the diverse needs of tourists.
Wireless tour guides are a relatively common type. They usually consist of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is usually held by the tour guide. It is small, lightweight, and easy to operate and carry. The receiver is mostly in the form of an earphone and microphone, such as the Yingmi tour guide. It is comfortable for tourists to wear. Moreover, some wireless tour guides support multi-language commentary, with a transmission distance of about 0 - 200 meters and strong signal stability. They can stably transmit the commentary content even in crowded outdoor environments or large exhibition halls.
Self-guided tour headphones are also commonly used equipment. They often have a simple design, some are similar to the style of ordinary headphones, which are convenient to wear. By connecting with the commentary system set up in the scenic spot, when tourists walk to the corresponding scenic spots, the corresponding commentary voice will be automatically played. Tourists can adjust the volume by themselves. When used alone, they can visit and understand the cultural aspects of the scenic spots as they like.
(B) Self-guided Tour Methods Based on Mobile Phone Platforms
Nowadays, self-guided tour methods relying on mobile phone platforms are becoming more and more popular among tourists and scenic spots. They are convenient to operate and each has its own advantages.
QR code guided tours are also very convenient. Scenic spots will post corresponding QR codes beside various scenic spots and buildings. Tourists can use the built-in scanning function of their mobile phones to scan them. In the background, the scenic spots synthesize the content that needs to be introduced and explained for each scenic spot into QR codes through software technology. Tourists can play the corresponding voice introduction by scanning the corresponding QR code. Besides audio commentary, relevant information can also be presented in the form of text, pictures and even videos. It can also support multi-language commentary, which is convenient for foreign tourists to visit. Its cost is relatively low, the maintenance cost is also low, and the service life is long. Even in the outdoor environment, there is no need to worry about being damaged by rain.
III. Advantages of Self-guided Tours for Scenic Spot Visits
(A) Enhancing Tour Autonomy
During the tour in the scenic spot, one of the major advantages brought by self-guided tours to tourists is the enhancement of tour autonomy. In the past, most tourists relied on tour guides to visit, and they had to follow fixed routes and time arrangements, and it was difficult to fully take into account personal interests. However, with the advent of self-guided tour devices nowadays, the situation is quite different. Tourists can completely get rid of their dependence on tour guides and freely choose the scenic spots they want to visit and plan their own exclusive tour routes according to their own interests. For example, tourists who are interested in historical culture can go straight to ancient buildings and historical sites that carry profound historical connotations and savor the stories in them carefully. If tourists are fond of natural scenery, they can stroll freely along the lakeside and mountain paths and stay longer at their favorite natural landscapes.
Moreover, tourists can also flexibly adjust the visiting pace according to their own time arrangements. When there is plenty of time, they can take their time and have an in-depth understanding of each scenic spot and listen to the commentary content several times. If time is limited, they can also browse quickly, only select the key parts to listen to the commentary, and adjust the listening progress at any time, truly taking the control of the tour itinerary firmly in their own hands, making the whole tour process more casual, relaxed and pleasant.
(B) Optimizing Tour Convenience
Self-guided tours perform excellently in optimizing tour convenience. Firstly, self-guided tour devices are fully designed with portability in mind. They are usually small and lightweight and easy to carry. Tourists will not feel cumbersome whether they put them in their pockets or hang them on their waists. And they are also extremely convenient and comfortable to wear. For example, the commonly used earphone and microphone type tour guides will not cause too much burden on the ears even if worn for a long time.
In the scenic spot, no matter which corner tourists are in, as long as they are within the corresponding signal coverage range or meet the induction conditions, they can use the self-guided tour devices to obtain the commentary information of the scenic spots at any time and anywhere. Their operation is also very simple and easy to understand. Usually, only a few button presses or simple touch screen operations are needed to easily select the content they want to listen to, adjust the volume and so on, allowing tourists to enjoy the tour process without obstacles and without having to spend too much energy on learning how to use the devices, making the tour more convenient and efficient.
(C) Enriching Tour Diversity
In the current context of global tourism, tourists visiting scenic spots come from all over the world, and language differences often become a major obstacle to understanding the culture of the scenic spots. Self-guided tour devices solve this problem well. They can provide multi-language services, covering common languages such as English, French, German, Japanese, Korean and so on. No matter which country tourists come from, they can choose their native language or the language they are good at to listen to the commentary content, easily breaking the language barrier.
In this way, tourists of different nationalities can have an in-depth understanding of the unique culture, historical stories, humanistic customs and so on contained in the scenic spots, making the audience group of the scenic spots wider and the cultural dissemination more diverse. For example, in the Palace Museum in China, foreign tourists can know the ingenious design concepts behind the Palace Museum's architecture and the major historical events that took place in various palaces through the foreign language services of self-guided tour devices, further appreciating the profoundness of traditional Chinese culture and making the scenic spot visits more colorful.
IV. Positive Impacts of Self-guided Tours on the Development of Scenic Spots
(A) Improving Tourists' Experience
When visiting scenic spots, tourists often yearn to have an in-depth understanding of the culture and history behind the scenic spots, and self-guided tours can well meet this need. Through the voice introductions provided by self-guided tour equipment or relevant applications on mobile phone platforms, tourists can know the stories behind each scenic spot, the causes of unique architectural styles, major historical events that once took place and so on. For example, when visiting the Palace Museum, with the help of self-guided tours, tourists can clearly understand the architectural ingenuity of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, such as the imperial majesty demonstrated by the golden dragon and phoenix caisson paintings and many details of the grand ceremonies held by ancient emperors here, as if traveling through time and witnessing historical scenes in person.
Moreover, self-guided tours provide tourists with a quiet and comfortable tour environment. Tourists no longer need to follow the large group and be disturbed by the noisy voices around them. They can stop and savor at their favorite scenic spots according to their own pace, calm down to enjoy the beautiful scenery in front of them, comprehensively improve their tour experience in the scenic spots, and make the tour more pleasant and comfortable. When tourists leave the scenic spots, what remains in their minds is not only the beautiful scenery but also rich knowledge and profound insights, and their satisfaction will naturally increase.
(B) Increasing the Benefits of Scenic Spots
When tourists have a good tour experience through self-guided tours in the scenic spots, they will often leave a deep and good impression on the scenic spots. After they go back, they will recommend the scenic spots to their relatives and friends. Through word-of-mouth, the reputation of the scenic spots will become better and better. With the spread of reputation, more and more tourists will be attracted to visit. The passenger flow of the scenic spots will increase.
The increase in passenger flow means that the scenic spots will see growth in ticket revenue, consumption items such as catering and souvenirs in the scenic spots. For example, some scenic spots with beautiful natural scenery and equipped with high-quality self-guided tour services may have been only known to tourists in the surrounding areas originally. Through the recommendations of tourists, they gradually attract tourists from farther places, driving the consumption of the entire scenic spot, thereby increasing the economic benefits of the scenic spot and laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the scenic spot, enabling it to have more funds for the upgrading and renovation of the scenic spot, environmental protection and so on, forming a virtuous cycle.
V. Conclusion
With the continuous progress of science and technology, the development prospects of self-guided tours in scenic spots are very broad, and it is expected to achieve smarter and more personalized services with the help of more advanced technologies.
+8618056004511
hmautoguide@gmail.com
Anhui ICP NO.03012536
WhatsApp) M.P: +86-180-56004511
E-Mail: shirley@aguider.com
Skype: +86 18056004511
Add: YingTe Building C#, Electrical and Mechanical Industrial Park,High-tech Zone,HeFei,Anhui,China
