Rafael Tzanis, a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center, said he once guided a man through a VIP tour who was celebrating his wedding anniversary, but the man was alone.
The guest's wife passed away two years ago, but since it was always the couple’s dream to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at the PCC, Tzanis said his guest decided to make the journey by himself on their anniversary.
This experience taught him the impact he can have on the guests, shared Tzanis, a junior from Australia majoring in political science and intercultural peacebuilding.
When they arrived in the Hawaiian Village during the tour, he said, they went into the Hale Mu’a and talked about the impact women had on their lives.
“He stopped and started crying. I’m looking at him crying and I had to start crying. And he was like, ‘Raf, I can feel her with me right now.’ I started bawling,” Tzanis shared.
“It is experiences like that where this becomes more than a job. You really see people as people and not just as guests. It elevates it to the next level.”
Despite cultural differences, PCC tour guides said their experiences with their guests and co-workers create a sense of family and prepare them for their future careers.
The Guest Services Department at the PCC has one of the most diverse teams because it represents countries from each continent and offers tours in six different languages, said Sia Lasa, a junior from New Zealand majoring in social work.
“We all have different backgrounds. We may be different colors and from different countries, but at work, we are all the same,” shared Lasa. She explained rather than focusing on their different backgrounds, they focus on how they can serve the PCC guests better together.
Lasa said the pressure also binds the tour guides together. “We are all excited about our guests. We all think about our schedules,” she said. “At work, we are the same people because we struggle together.”
Tzanis said, “It’s such a dynamic job. So, to share this with your co-workers, bounce ideas around and help each other, I think it forces you into a relationship. It keeps you excited about having those things in common.”
Finding family
Tzanis said when he first came to BYUH, he found his campus family at the Guest Services Department.
“This is one of the few places where you have a family that is not determined by where you’re from. There is no clique. You all come from different places, and that connects you.”
Tzanis said tour guides work 19 hours a week, taking either VIP or ambassador tours of up to 20 people around the PCC. He said they must be flexible, because each day they have different guests with different expectations under different circumstances.
Hayeon Lee, a junior from South Korea majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “It’s stressful, but it’s worth it.” He said the opportunity to meet lots of people helps him make friends, but can also be overwhelming at times.
Lasa said the job is a big part of her life because of the genuine empathy she has developed for her guests. She said the experience of taking a guest with down syndrome on a tour has stayed with her through the years.
“At first I didn’t know how to react or what to do with her,” she shared. “Her parents told me, ‘Just do what you’ve planned’.”
She gave the little girl her pink water bottle, and it made the girl’s day, Lasa said with a smile. The girl wanted to carry it the whole day, and she said since the girl dropped the water bottle several times, it became all crooked.
“It was fine to me,” Lasa laughed. “I just let her be. Just before I went home, the girl asked me to be her tour guide again. She was like, ‘Can I see you again?’ That stayed with me.”
“Being a tour guide is home”
Lisa Agafili Neiufi, a recent BYUH alumna from New Zealand, said it is the way the working environment is set up for tour guides that brings everybody together and creates a sense of family.
Not only are guides supportive of each other and genuinely congratulate each other on their tips, Neiufi said but also the leadership team in the department cares about each guide individually.
She said, “We have been understaffed, and the canoe guys were working so hard. So the boss made huge ice creams for them. I think little things like that make us feel appreciated.”
Setting up talent shows, recreating the Olympic games, going ice skating together, recreating the Huki Show as tour guides and organizing scavenger hunts at night in the PCC has strengthened the relationships among the team, Neiufi explained.
“You make lifelong friends. Alumni keep in contact on the Facebook page after decades. [Being a] tour guide is home.”
Broadening horizons
Still, Neiufi said being a tour guide is not just about conducting tours or making friends. “You learn your own culture in a different way. I have newfound respect for my culture and my identity just from being here.”
Lee explained everybody connects differently with their guests and language is not a priority. She said, “It’s like a puzzle. If we fit on one side, we can connect. We don’t have to fit perfectly.”
Neiufi said being a tour guide has prepared her for her future career in speech therapy. The language and speaking skills she has developed while being a guide have given her the needed experience and trust in herself when going into interviews, she explained.
“[Being a] tour guide gave me the confidence to talk in front of a large group of people, to speak up and to step out of my comfort zone,” Neiufi added.
Lasa explained the gravity of the skills she developed as a guide. “I have three main skills I learned as a guide, which are customer service skills, being able to talk to anybody–which also includes building relationships with strangers in a very short amount of time–and being able to work under pressure.” •