Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Rosen.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Keith. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2000, I started my tour company, now known as Houston Historical Tours. It was a natural segue as I had taught primarily history classes since 1981 in middle and high schools and colleges and universities. As a research historian, I used my knowledge and skills that had been cultivated for decades to create a business. I continued to teach mostly at night with community colleges until 2015 when I retired from formal education. I enjoy continuing to conduct tours. I now conduct hundreds of different tours and hundreds of tours annually. Creating and writing new tours is like writing curriculum and it stimulates my brain. I can be with different people every day on a different tour with people who pay to have fun. The motto of my company is Educating and entertaining everyone.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road to where I am today has not always been smooth. Often the best way to learn something is through trial and error. 1. I had to find a good webmistress. That took some time. 2. I have had to find a good SEO person. That is an ongoing concern. 3. Dealing with unethical people such as concierges that insist on receiving a kickback for any recommendations at the hotels in which they work. 4. Someone hacked my website that resulted in a temporary loss of business. 5. Realizing that I need to collect a non-refundable deposit before tours as there are many people who will not otherwise show up at the scheduled tour that they made. Nothing spells commitment like money. Many people still object to paying a deposit. 6. Keeping up with all of the changes in sites and tours. Places go out of business; structures are torn down; new ones are built; admission prices go up. One has to continually keep up with the business and adjust. 7. Finding good employees.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Houston Historical Tours story. Tell us more about the business.
We are in the business of creating, planning, and conducting tours. We specialize in educating and entertaining people. We are known for our multi-cultural tours and hopefully making more people understanding. In 2003, I was chosen to be the master tour guide for the city of Houston.
I am most proud of my company having ethical practices and trying to meet the wants and needs of our clientele.
I am set apart from others as I am the only certified tour guide with multiple collegiate degrees. Most tour guides have no collegiate degrees let alone three. Thus, many tour guides have limited knowledge on limited subjects. Some of them are not much more than taxi drivers. Some other companies make claims of tours that they never conduct and claim that they provide a tour when they only provide transit.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think that the number of tour companies or tour guides will continue to grow. As Houston grows and if the city promotes all of the great places that we have (theaters, museums, cultural centers, public art and structures, and so on), more people will consider and visit Houston as a destination for vacations. After seventeen years in business, I still hear people say that they only associate Houston with energy companies and business.
The number of potential tourist sites will continue to grow. Since I began the company seventeen years ago:
1. The number of wineries within the greater Houston area has doubled.
2. The number of breweries has increased over 20 fold.
3. The number of museums has increased by about 50%.
4. The number of downtown hotels has increased from six to about twenty-three.
Thus, the number of people coming to Houston and having places to visit should continue to grow.
A big shift has already occurred in the presence of foreigners visiting Houston. When I began in 2000, most of foreign clientele were from Canada, Mexico, England, and Germany. Now much of it still comes from Canada, but also from Australia, New Zealand, India, China, and Arab nations. The expansion of Hobby Airport from a strictly domestic to international airport may result in more Latin American tourists. The growth of cruise lines may increase business with people wanting tours before or after the cruise is completed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houstonhistoricaltours.com
- Phone: (713) 392-0867
- Email: houstonhistory@aol.com
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