Private Tours in Israel: An Israeli Guide’s Perspective on the Evolution of Individual Tourism and the Impact of Modern Technologies. Internet, YouTube, Zoom, ChatGPT.
Private tours in Israel, personalized excursions for families and small groups of up to 7 participants, have been my job for many years. From designing the tour and recommendations to conducting the excursions themselves, I do it all. I negotiate with clients, meet them in Israel, arrange Fast Track at Ben Gurion Airport, drive them around Israel in my car, and guide them through the streets of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and along the paths of archaeological parks and reserves.
The tourism industry for large (bus) groups requires a different level of logistics, advance agreements, and bookings for flights, transport, hotels, restaurants, and coordination with guides and tourist sites. Planning and conducting private tours in Israel is easier. Especially if I have the opportunity to advise on the level of planning a visit to Israel – when to come, where to stay, where to go for excursions with a guide, and where to wander on their own.
Visits by large groups cannot do without the involvement of travel agencies abroad and tour operators in Israel. Private tours in Israel can be organized spontaneously, using any time slots, linked to business visits, or family celebrations. Individual tours in Israel do not require long preliminary preparation and the involvement of numerous intermediaries.
Internet, YouTube, Zoom, ChatGPT, and private tours in Israel.
Back in the twentieth century, the internet appeared, making it possible for people to buy their own plane tickets to Israel, book hotels, and find suitable guides. Of course, it’s possible to go without a guide, rent a car, prepare a route, and rely entirely on oneself. But if ordering standard services can be done directly from your smartphone with a few taps, an individual excursion is a different matter. It involves driving a car in an unfamiliar country, navigating narrow city streets and park trails, understanding opening hours and traditions, and a myriad of nuances that not every local can foresee.
Then audio guides began to develop actively. And guides feared that audio guides would take our jobs. But that didn’t happen. Then there was the pandemic, and tourists stopped coming. Video tours via Zoom appeared, which also couldn’t replace a live guide with a car. Now, AI – artificial intelligence – is flourishing. Nothing terrible has happened yet. ChatGPT helps me improve my English, write articles for my website. With its help, I communicate with clients ordering VIP services at the airport in Spanish, French, and German.
When cars become fully autonomous, it will also help in my work, but it will not replace a live guide, just as interacting with artificial intelligence cannot replace live communication.
