World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA)

World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA): It is a not a non-profit, non-political organisation (NGO) which maintains and regulates the tourist guide associations around the world by grouping them together. This tourist guide association includes individual as well as other authorities (agencies) in the tour guiding business.

It includes tourism partners from both the WFTGA and its member’s associations like various educational intuitions in tourism and tour guiding, others nodal agencies of the bureau and various affiliated members who are having either direct or indirect relationship (association) with tourist guides.

Its logo indicates the hands of alliance and guidance extended across the globe. In the year 1985, the proposals were put forward in the first international convention of tourist guides to set up an organisation which would facilitate the overall functioning of tour guides by monitoring, regulating & maintaining the database of its members.

This is when the world federation of tourist guide association (WFTGA) came in existence. The organisation was registered as a non-profit organisation after the second convention of Vienna (1987) under the Austrian law. 

The organisation has grown up after its every international convention held in different parts of the world. At present, the WFTGA has established an international global forum for tourist guides with a well-connected network of professionals’ guides representing from more than 70 countries, representing more than 200000 individual tourist guides. 

Also read Role of a Tourist Guide

Objective of World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA)

To establish, sustain, and improve contacts with tour guiding associations, tour guides, and tourism training institutes worldwide, in order to reinforce the professional relationship between the tourist bodies from across the world. 

Today it is the single global forum for the tourist guides which endures nurturing with the dynamism of tourism sector.The main propose behind setting up this association is to have a nodal authority to bring a kind of formality in the unorganised sector of tourism at that time.

With respect to time, the WFTGA has constantly developed certain norms and rules which aid in bringing the uniformity in the overall process of tour guiding and in the profession of tour guides. Today it has become possible only due to WFTGA’s mechanism that tour guiding has been considered as a specialised branch of knowledge and tour guides are considered as professionals.

Right, form the very beginning the prime objective of WFTGA has always centred upon the fact that tour guides must be reorganised as the ambassadors of that region they belong to. The tour guides are considered as the first (sometimes the only) representatives of the group of visitors they meet for that particular region. 

By considering so, it encourages and supports to use the only area based tourist guides to its member regions. By doing so, one the one hand, it ensures the employment of local tourist guides and on the other hand, it also guarantees that the visitors have precise and proficient services from its affiliates.  

It enables its members to search & hire area specific tour guides. It also acts a link between its members and other industry partners &undertakes various promotional activities worldwide. 

The executive board is responsible for the basic administration and management of WFTGA. The delegates (representatives) of WFTGA member countries elect the members of the Executive board for the period of two years at each convention.

If a person becomes the member of the executive council then the person is required to be completely involved in the functioning of the board with dedication and best of his/her abilities. The members of executive boards of WFTGA should be actively practicing tourist guides in order to become eligible to get recommended.

Also read Present status of Tour Guides

The executive board then appoints various area representatives which would act as a liaison between the existing member’s countries of WFTGA and the board. Apart from the regular appointments of area representatives, the executive board also inspire new affiliations.

However, under the law of WFTGA, both members of executive council and area representatives are considered as volunteers to the federation who are constantly giving their time and support in order to attain the overall objectives of the federation. The world federation of tourist guide association is devoted and dedicated to:

• Create links with various visitor attendants’ associations, training organisations and individuals.
• Strengthening the proficient ties with the federation and its members.
• Embody qualified tourist guides universally and to endorse& guard their interests.

Also read Job of a Tour Guide

• Improve the present condition of tourism industry & career and to encourage the practice of zone specific native tourist guides in all provinces.  
• Simplify the exchange of information amongst the members.
• Promote the collective code of morals and integrity globally. 
• Rise, create and reassure the uppermost canons of professionalism. 
• Advance the global training and refining the eminence of guiding through education and training.