European tourist guides sent open letter to Greek Tourism Minister regarding the certified tourist guides of Greece

European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) sent an open letter to Greek  Minister of Tourism, Mrs Olga Kefalogianni regarding the proposed bill of law concerning the certified tourist guides of Greece. Thelettr was also sent to Panhellenic Tourist Guides Federation (POXEN) and it follows:

The European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) expresses its support to the qualified tourist guides of Greece who strongly protest against the Ministry of Tourism’s new bill of law proposed these days now open for public consultation. This controversial legislation proposed by the Greek Government will completely change the nature of professional guiding services in Greece by amending the existing term of “tourist guide” in your country. It will deregulate our profession and “transform” the country’s nationwide, well-trained, assessed and certified tourist guides into “exclusively guides of monuments, museums and archaeological sites”, as we assume you already know.

For decades the certified tourist guides of Greece have travelled across your country’s mainland and islands, along with their organised groups or individual visitors on multi-day guided tours interpreting its cultural & natural heritage, modern life & history, traditions, gastronomy and other aspects of Greece.

The new term introduced in the public consultation on the bill of law by your Ministry will create a new and unqualified category of persons, who could be just anyone from any place in the world who will guide across Greece, but having absolutely no specialised vocational training or qualification to guide, should this new legal term for tourist guide be voted for by the Greek Parliament.

The existing legal term for the tourist guide as found in the Greek Law 710/77 is completely satisfactory, is compliant with the official European terminology, and covers the wide range of the multi-activity needed, which is the interpretation of all areas and aspects of Greek ancient & modern life, cultural & natural heritage whether on sites, museums and monuments or en route, city tours and walks in historical city centres and traditional settlements, gastronomy, geology, arts, music and theatre, etc. Certified tourist guides of Greece have been asked for decades to travel on long tours with their visitors across the whole country as national certified guides and the daily ambassadors of Greece.

Existing official terms for the various touristic professions are found in the European Standard ΕΝ13809:2003 οn “Tourism Terminology for Europe” created by the European Standardisation Committee (CEN):

Tourist Guide
Person who guides visitors in the language of their choice and interprets the cultural and natural heritage of an area, which person normally possesses an area-specific qualification usually issued and/or recognised by the appropriate authority.

Tour Manager
Person who manages and supervises the itinerary on behalf of the tour operator, ensuring the program is carried out as described in the tour operator’s literature and sold to the traveller/consumer and who gives local practical information.

Tour Escort
Representative of a tour operator providing basic assistance to travellers.

Since last week we have been informed as FEG, that our Greek member association, the Panhellenic Tourist Guide Federation (POXEN), has been closely monitoring the issue, working with its legal advisor, and corresponding with the Ministry of Tourism, so we are expecting a positive outcome to your upcoming meeting with our colleagues in Greece.

It would be a great disappointment to see the mobilisation of and demonstrations by the panhellenic tourist guides continue during the high season, if their voice is not heard by the Ministry of Tourism.

We – as the pan-European umbrella organisation of professional tourist guides – echo the opposition of our colleagues to the proposed term in the bill of law articles nr. 32 to 44, their anger and bitterness over the devaluation of professional guiding services and training.

We stress the damage that would be caused to the tourism & cultural image of Greece by any amateur who will be literally allowed to guide across your country. We ask you to reconsider the law proposal, discuss it with our Greek members association, POXEN, and withdraw the catastrophic new term proposed.