Quality + Practical Consultancy Services for Hong Kong Tour Guides Available Now!
Expert Advice From Jamie a Hong Kong based Private Tour Industry Expert since 2010
The J3 Group - Premium Quality Private Tours | Experiences and Insider Chats since 2010
Me Jamie, your host, I am English and I have lived in Hong Kong since January 2nd 1972 - I know the place.
A meaningful blog post with a difference - tips on Travel, Tourism, Tours, Daily Life and my personal thoughts on Hong Kong.
Please do visit Amazing Hong Kong
Hong Kong | Pearl of the Orient
A Resident since 1972 - Private Tours of Hong Kong with Jamie
The Best Things to do in Hong Kong
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They probably could have done with the services of a great tour guide in Hong Kong
Consultancy Services for Hong Kong Tour Guides Available Now!
Foreword by Jamie
After more than fifty years in Hong Kong and over 2,400 private tours with close to 7,000 guests, I have had the rare chance to watch this city and its visitors from almost every possible angle. The work has taken me through every kind of day, every kind of weather, and every kind of guest - from the quietly curious to the extremely demanding.
Along the way, and especially over the past fifteen years, I have spent a great deal of time talking with new and developing tour guides. Some were just starting out, others had been working for a while but felt stuck. In almost every case the conversations came back to the same practical questions: how to handle difficult situations with confidence, how to keep stories fresh, how to read a group, and how to turn an ordinary tour into something people actually remember. Two other issues surface again and again, and both of them get in the way of good guiding.
The first is the belief that success depends on taking selfies with clients at the major sites. I have taken thousands of photographs of guests over the years with a proper professional camera, yet you will almost never see me in the shot. Guests almost always prefer a clear, well-composed image of themselves in the place they came to see rather than a hurried smartphone selfie. Far too often the guide holds the phone up for a group shot and ends up front and centre, grinning and gurning into the lens. It is a small habit that says a great deal about where the attention is really focused.
The second, and in my view more serious, problem is an open obsession with securing a large tip. Many guides are paid a relatively low hourly rate with the understanding that they keep whatever tips they receive. I can see both sides of that arrangement. The difficulty arises when the focus on the tip begins to show. Guests are quick to sense when a guide is trying a little too hard and the warmth no longer feels genuine. The natural rhythm of the tour is disturbed and the relationship quietly becomes transactional.
Real guiding has very little to do with either of these habits. The obsession with tips is something guests notice and comment on in reviews and forums across the world; the selfie habit is more often recognised by other guides who have seen it up close. Both get in the way of the work. Those repeated conversations over many years are the real reason this consultancy service exists
1. One-to-One Strategy Sessions with Hong Kong Tour Guides
This is my main focus and please note all sessions are conducted in English
These personalised sessions are designed specifically for individual guides.
Practical pep talks, honest performance reviews, customer-handling techniques, route-optimisation ideas and clear career-development advice are all drawn from more than 2,400 private tours of Hong Kong conducted since 2011. The sessions take place in person. The one-to-one format allows guides to speak openly and honestly, without colleagues or managers present.
Because skilled guides remain critical to the success of any tour company, this service offers the strongest and most immediate value available.
Pricing
HK$3,000 for a two-hour individual session
HK$5,000 for a four-hour individual session
The price remains the same for multiple sessions.
Payment
Cash only (Hong Kong dollars).
2. Test Tour Evaluations and Tour Guide Assessment For Hong Kong Tour Companies
Brief overview: I conduct private or group tour assessments that provide honest, detailed feedback on performance, client interaction, pacing, storytelling, problem-solving, and overall customer experience. A written assessment report includes specific recommendations to raise standards and competitiveness.
This expert evaluation carries far greater weight than standard Tripadvisor reviews, as it comes from direct, real-world observation by someone who has completed over 2,400+ private tours. The service uses a standard 4-hour format. Many operators run 4-hour group tours, allowing me to join discreetly as just another client - perfect secret shopper style assessment with no clipboard, just careful observation and an excellent memory for detail.
I can also assess potential new guides during the hiring process - meeting them and giving you an independent, honest evaluation before you decide on a formal interview.
Why this independent assessment is valuable for any guide (new or experienced):
Just because a guide has been working for many years does not always mean they are performing at their best. Some treat guiding as “just a job” and stop evolving.
Many guides have been heavily influenced by the standard government tour guide course, which is heavy on bureaucracy but often weak on storytelling and genuine guest engagement.
An outside expert perspective can identify small issues and hidden strengths that an owner may miss due to the day-to-day employer-employee relationship.
Dedicated guides with real passion benefit greatly from honest, constructive feedback to help them improve and stand out in a very competitive market.
Pricing: HK$6,000 for a 4-hour evaluation including full report.
Guide interview | pre-hiring assessment: HK$2,500 per candidate.
Payment: Cash only.HK$
3. Quality Blog Post Creation Service
Brief overview: I offer high-quality, well researched blog posts written specifically for the Hong Kong private tour market. Unlike generic writers, these posts draw directly from my 54 years of local experience and 2,400+ private tours. Many operators are simply too busy to produce regular content themselves, yet recognise the importance of strong blog posts for marketing and SEO. Posts can cover destination insights, hidden gems, practical travel tips, industry trends, or customer-focused topics. Quality and depth are consistent with the standard you have come to expect from me over the years. Professional travel and tourism blog writing by specialists worldwide typically ranges from US$250 to US$600+ per post my rate reflects both the depth of expertise and the proven impact such content can have on search and AI visibility and enquiries.
For the record one of my own blog posts typically takes 4 - 8 hours and I average over 25 every month
Pricing: HK$1,250 per completed blog post (average 800 - 1,200 words) and please note I generally take no notice of word count, some of my own posts can be triple that or more.
4. Hong Kong-Specific Marketing and Positioning Strategies
Brief overview: Practical, ground-level marketing advice draws from direct experience running a successful tour company in Hong Kong since 2010. This stands in clear contrast to overseas consultants focused mainly on general SEO and digital tactics from afar. Coverage includes local market positioning, targeting specific visitor segments, leveraging Hong Kong’s unique attractions, pricing for the Hong Kong context, and creating authentic experiences that stand out from mass tourism operators.
This service also includes a one-time assessment of your company’s current website with a detailed report on strengths, weaknesses, and specific recommendations for improvement.
Pricing: HK$10,000 for a custom strategy report including website assessment, pricing and improvement ideas.
5. Custom Projects and Assignments
Brief overview: Anything not covered above.
Pricing: To be negotiated on a case by case basis.
Payment Terms
For companies, payment will be made by bank transfer with full account details supplied upon agreement or cash (preferred). For individual guides, payment will be in cash only. All services remain open to discussion and negotiation to suit particular needs.
Confidentiality
All projects and assignments will be done on a strictly confidential basis. I fully understand the sensitive nature of working with tour operators and will treat all discussions, assessments, business strategies, and client information with complete discretion. Over the past 16+ years I have worked with multiple companies while maintaining the highest level of confidentiality, and I will continue to do so. Nothing discussed or observed during our work together will be shared with any other operator. You can be confident that your business information remains fully protected.
Almost 7,000 Private Tour Guests from every conceivable background
If you can handle this range, you can handle anyone
……and I have done tours with people who have the following diverse occupations: a real princess, very close relatives of a US President, a one-star admiral of the US 7th Fleet, a nuclear missile operations officer (missileer) for the USAF, plumbers, postman, supplier of all frozen burger patties to McDonald’s, nuclear sub commanders, farmers, chip shop owner, teachers, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, photocopier repair guys, lawyers, rocket scientists, movie producers, consul generals, police officers, homicide detectives, travel agents, housekeepers, linguists, retired and serving CIA officers, fighter pilots, army and navy guys, socialites, students, judges, journalists, software geeks, nuclear power plant inspectors, surgeons, doctors, forensic pathologists, nurses, coroners, venture capitalists, hospice directors, town planners, accountants, psychiatrists, nuclear physicists, professional athletes, ferry captains, commercial pilots, airline crew, social workers, veterinarians, musicians, theme park executives, professional photographers, college professors, gaming geeks, inland revenue tax officials, American Air Force B-52 bomber pilot, senior engineer / ballistic missiles, bodyguards, beer salesmen, park rangers, scuba diving instructors, popcorn machine makers, coastguard officers, firemen, structural geologists, architects, surveyors, Hooters waitress, dentists, ski instructors, civil engineers, air traffic controllers, electricians, top law professors at major US universities, librarians, steel guys, economists, homemakers, novelists, book publishers, currency traders, carpenters, a rabbi, boiler maker, strawberry farmers, food bloggers, morticians, financial advisers, corporate video makers, private investigators, bounty hunters, chiropractors, builders, stonemasons, botanists, dog sitters, spy, geneticists, Interpol agents, prison food suppliers, radio announcers, military cryptologists, forklift drivers, locksmiths, ice cream maker, pastry chef, baker, zoo keepers, explosives experts, DEA agents, coffee traders, diamond buyers, wedding photographers, Google gurus, geologists, professor of medieval history, navy chefs, camp site operators, animal embalmers, telecoms engineers, helicopter pilots, oil industry divers, navy seals, editor for USA Today, landscape gardeners, Mary Kay super agents, hotel owners, TV actors, optometrists, gourmet chefs, acclaimed plastic surgeons, barristers, travel bloggers, politicians, funeral home directors, former gang member, anthropologist, children’s book author, geophysicist, chicken artist, priest, movie makeup artist, expert witness, bail bondsman, opera singer, master brewer, child prodigy, debt collector, Victoria’s Secret store manager, head of a major charity, celebrity TV talking heads, Fortune 500 CEOs, corporate trainer, futures trader, waitress (quite a few), general manager of a worm bait company, owner of an RV dealership, convenience store owner, owner of an amusement game manufacturer, elephant conservationists, chemist, high school students, crematorium operator, concert pianist, vet from Honduras, hair stylist for a funeral home, calendar maker, pedicab operator, poets, F-16 fighter pilot USAF, Steve Jobs’ doctor, major US Democratic politician, big cheese executives from HBO and CBS, famous journalist and a journalism professor, former Secret Service agent, famous rare coin and stamp collector, major charitable foundation owner … and some really, really senior people from J.P. Morgan, Starbucks, United Airlines, Boeing, Google and Microsoft.
So there you go
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© Copyright Acknowledged | All rights reserved | images taken by Jamie
