Tour Guides and Escorts

Low pay & lowrisk
Low Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (3)

Lower estimated automation risk

Recreation Workers
9% automation risk | Minimal Risk
More jobs
22.6 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses group activities, visitor engagement, safety rules, demonstrations, scheduling, and adaptation to audience needs.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
23% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better More jobs
8.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Transfers itinerary planning, group logistics, vendors, timing, customer expectations, contingency planning, and on-site coordination.

Museum Technicians and Conservators
19% automation risk | Minimal Risk
Pays better
12.5 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits museum guides using collection knowledge, visitor education, exhibit care awareness, documentation, and preservation procedures.

Compare this job with others
or search for another job
Share your results with friends and family.

Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
4.0/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

32% (Low Risk)

Low Risk (21-40%): This occupation has a lower risk of full replacement by AI, software, or robotic systems. Some tasks may be automated or assisted, but the role usually still relies on human judgement, communication, responsibility, physical adaptability, or practical decision-making.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Working directly with the public

Very important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 110 votes

53% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted they are unsure if this occupation will be automated. However, employees may be able to find reassurance in the automated risk level we have generated, which shows 32% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Tour Guides and Escorts will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Sentiment

Based on user votes over time

View sentiment trend

How opinions have changed over time

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Tour and Travel Guides was $36,660 ($18 per hour).

The median annual wage for Tour and Travel Guides was 25.9% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Very fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Tour and Travel Guides' job openings is expected to rise 8.1% by 2034

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Moderate range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 49,010 people employed as 'Tour and Travel Guides' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 3 thousand people are employed as 'Tour and Travel Guides'.

People also viewed

Lawyers Computer Programmers Actors Web Developers Accountants and Auditors

What people are saying (11)

Leave a comment
Cessna (Highly likely)
10 Aug 2025 01:15
It’s quite easy to do and very repetitive
Jimmy (No chance)
27 Feb 2025 15:47
The job is primarily based on social interaction.
Frances Brennan (Moderate)
07 Nov 2023 21:43
We are still at the point where visitors seek a personal interactive engaged tour guide who will accompany them on their journey within the host region
The human emotive customer oriented tour guide is as yet preferred over a robotic machine counterpart who lacks empathy feeling and passion for the host region visited
Kate (Low)
19 Dec 2022 20:50
There's no way an AI-guided tour would be as interesting, well-done, and adapted to individual needs as the one conducted by a human being.
Taher (Low)
06 Nov 2022 00:51
Because it needs real social interaction and a person walking to show
Will
09 Jul 2021 05:12
Yea Take a walk through the woods with Johnny 5.
Pablo (Uncertain)
23 Mar 2021 20:51
Our business is not bringing information (easy to replace) but bringing a connection with the local flavor and deliver a human empathy.
Sarah (Highly likely)
26 Jun 2019 20:32
Robots are becoming tour guides as I can imagine. Artifical intelligence plans to guide tours soon, a job that a computer can do.
Tracy
04 Apr 2019 02:56
Well, i don't believe AI or robots can replace all the workforce within the next 20 years. But I think AI can replace most work without many skills, some work that just requires following orders will be easily automated by AI. The work that will not be replaced will be work which requires problem solving skills, creativity, or critical thinking... However, I guess AI can automate almost 98% of jobs within the next 100 years.
Shannon
31 Mar 2019 15:57
Depends on the TYPE of tour guide. At a museum? Definitely doomed. As a rafting or hiking tour guide? No way.
Suzanna
18 Nov 2019 02:37
What about an aquarium tour guide?
Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

Escort individuals or groups on sightseeing tours or through places of interest, such as industrial establishments, public buildings, and art galleries.

O*NET-SOC code: 39-7011.00