It bothers me just a little bit that every solution so far has seemed to
involve accomodating the boorish tour operator.  While I am all in favor of
visitors--and the maximum that a site can allow at any given time, I do not
see that it is necessary to allow a large group to invade just as you are
getting ready to close up.

I think that you should definitely seek good relations with tour operators,
but the first thing to do is decide what your policy will be about such late
arrivals (maybe require tour operators to schedule visits?), and then make
sure that all the local tour operators know it.  Obviously, this guy knows
only too well how you will react to his late arrivals and takes advantage of
you.

Decide what you want to do, publish your policies, then sit down with all
the tour guys and let them know how it is going to work from now on.  There
is nothing that says that you can't offer discounts for large groups and
find other ways to accomodate their needs, particularly financial.

But you don't have to just take it.

Claudia Nicholson
Curator
Museum Collections Department
Minnesota Historical Society
345 Kellogg Blvd. W.
St. Paul, MN  55102-1906
  e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
  Phone:  651-297-7442
  FAX:  651-297-2967

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