Methodology for training tour guides to conduct botanical excursions

Due to the increase in domestic tourist flows, Russian botanical gardens have now become a popular place for educational leisure among Russians. The most common form of interaction with visitors to the botanical garden is the «botanical excursion». The specifics of the «botanical excursion» require the presence of full-time highly qualified personnel to conduct it. The definition of a «botanical excursion» formulated in this study reveals the features and purpose of a highly specialized tour of the botanical garden, linking the botanical collections and the personality of the guide. This study examines the practical experience of teaching guides in one of the largest and oldest institutions in Russia, the Peter the Great Botanical Garden of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg). The author's method of professional training of guides for conducting botanical excursions is described. The authors of the methodology determined the indicators, highlighted the criteria and levels of professional skill of the guide. The presented author's method of professional training of guides, developed in the conditions of the Peter the Great Botanical Garden, has prospects for practical implementation both at the sites of the botanical gardens of Russia and in institutions conducting narrow-profile excursion activities.