What is the difference between a Tourist Guide and a Tour Operator? A Tour Operator is a person / company that make all the arrangements regarding transport, accommodation, tour packages, etc. Basically the Tour Operator is the person that sits in the office and makes all the preparations. A Tourist Guide is the person that guides visitors, for a fee, interpreting cultural and natural heritage and is effectively in charge of the group for the duration of the tour. The Tourist Guide has no part in the organising component of the tour. It is the Tour Operator’s responsibility to organise a well thought out, all inclusive tour package that will entice international as well as local tourists to explore our country from west coast to east coast, Cape Point to the Limpopo river.

Drum Beat Academy offers a workshop on how to start and operate your own small Tour Operator business. This workshop will enhance your Tour Operator business skills and teach you some of the most important aspects of running your own small tourism business. Drum Beat’s Tour Operator Workshop has been designed for tour guides, entrepreneurs and existing Tour Operators to gain knowledge and information on the industry. This workshop is presented three times a year at our head office in Pretoria but can be scheduled in other areas if the demand is big enough.