Tour Directing Video
Interested in learning more about becoming a Tour Director and if it's the right career for you? Watch a four minute video Baby Boomer Lifestyle Video and other insightful tour directing videos.

- Baby Boomer Lifestyle Video
- Other Tour Directing Videos

- 2009 Symposium Brochure for Tour Operators (PDF)
- 2009 Symposium Brochure for Tour Directors (PDF)
- Symposium Photos and Videos
- Preferred ITMI Sponsors Symposium 2007

Donna Primas
IMTI Graduate and Professional Tour Director

How long have you been tour directing?
I have been working in tourism since shortly after graduating from the first ITMI class in Chicago in 1983. I connected with several Chicago DMCs immediately for freelance local guide jobs and giving city tours in both Spanish and English.

In 1985, I started my own venture, Primas Copywrite. For over 20 years, I have worked in three main areas. 1) I freelance doing bilingual local tourism jobs, including guiding. 2) I travel overseas and around the U.S. working for a variety of Corporate, Incentive, Meeting and Exhibit (MICE) clients as a freelance Travel Director. 3) I also write and coordinate graphic design projects for incentive and corporate travel programs. This work involves marketing materials, designing forms, research and writing final trip materials, laying out and purchasing dimensional items such as bag tags, travel wallets, bags, gift times and signage. I have even written newsletters, travel video scripts, websites and designed post trip memory books. I love the mix of things and the diversity.

Where have you led tours?
I have worked special events like World Expositions, the Super Bowl and the Indy 500. My jobs as an on-site travel staff have taken me to business meetings and incentive travel programs in resorts, large cities and cruise ships around the U.S., in nearly every country in Europe, plus India, Australia and a few countries in Southeast Asia, South America, Africa, etc. I love what I do.

What did you do before Tour Directing?
I taught English as a Second Language, and worked for The Bank of Argentina and DePaul University. I found that the patience and communication skills, computer and accounting experiences, exposure to cultural diversity and working with VIPs, plus planning events like cocktail parties and graduation ceremonies, all contributed and meshed to enable me to be successful operating my own business and working in tourism.

How has Tout Directing changed your life?
I have worked hard to please clients, get repeat business, network with people and stay current with technology. This has enabled me to get paid to travel to many places I wanted to see in my lifetime.

What do you do when you are not Tour Directing?
I spend huge amounts of time nurturing the next generation of guides and travel directors. I have been the President of the Chicago Tour-Guide Professionals Association for 12 years. I teach tour guide training in Chicago, and am involved with the National Federation of Tourist Guides-USA and the World Federation of Tourist Guides.)

What do you like most about Tour Directing?
I love exploring the world coming in contact with natural wonders and ancient artifacts, being among the first to see "the next big thing", learning about history and art, sampling local foods, enjoying dance, theater and music of other cultures and making new friends across the globe.

How has ITMI supported you in your career?
ITMI has invited me to speak to its graduates at a few symposiums to share my knowledge and experiences working in the incentive and corporate markets. They have also sent many new ITMI gradates my way to tap into the resources of the Chicago and other local guide organizations. I think this has fostered mutual respect and given us all stronger networks to use to expand our horizons and grow as professionals.

Any other comments of interest about the industry or your experience?
Despite the challenges presented to tourism since 9/11 and the new glut of recorded audio tours available to download to a phone, I-pod or Blackberry, I am optimistic about the future for tourism, guides, tour managers and travel directors. I think that most people still want to interact with someone who has "been there and done that".