Anthony Quintano from Mount Laurel, United States, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsFEBRUARY 2024
FOR SUCH A SHORT MONTH, FEBRUARY HAS A LOT GOING ON.
IN THIS MONTH WE CELEBRATE, BLACK HISTORY, 2 US PRESIDENTS, AND ST. VALENTINES DAY. AND IF THAT ISN’T ENOUGH TO KEEP GUIDES BUSY OFFERING SPECIALTY TOURS, FEBRUARY IS ALSO WHEN WE CELEBRATE OURSELVES. INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY.
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY.
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY IS CELEBRATED ANNUALLY ON FEBRUARY 21ST. IT HONORS THE ROLE OF TOURIST GUIDES IN ENHANCING THE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE AND PROMOTING CULTURAL EXCHANGE. THE DAY ACKNOWLEDGES GUIDES CONTRIBUTIONS TO TOURISM BY PROVIDING VALUABLE INSIGHTS, HISTORICAL CONTEXT, AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE TO TOURISTS. VARIOUS EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES ARE ORGANIZED GLOBALLY TO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OF TOURIST GUIDES.
ACTIVITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY OFTEN INCLUDE GUIDED TOURS, WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, AND CULTURAL EVENTS. TOURIST GUIDES MAY CONDUCT SPECIAL TOURS HIGHLIGHTING HISTORICAL LANDMARKS, CULTURAL SITES, OR HIDDEN GEMS. WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS FOCUS ON IMPROVING GUIDING SKILLS, SHARING KNOWLEDGE, AND DISCUSSING INDUSTRY TRENDS. CULTURAL EVENTS, SUCH AS EXHIBITIONS OR PERFORMANCES, MAY ALSO TAKE PLACE TO CELEBRATE THE DIVERSITY OF DESTINATIONS. MANY ORGANIZATIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS DEDICATED TO TOURISM AND GUIDING PARTICIPATE IN ORGANIZING THESE ACTIVITIES TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TOURIST GUIDES.
INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY WAS INITIATED BY THE WORLD FEDERATION OF TOURIST GUIDE ASSOCIATIONS – WFTGA IN 1990 AND COMMEMORATES THE FOUNDING OF THE WFTGA. FIFTEEN COUNTRIES PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST YEAR. SINCE THEN, TOURIST GUIDES IN AN EVER-GROWING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN GIVING HELP TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, CONDUCTING TOURS FOR DISABLED PERSONS, DISADVANTAGED PERSONS, FOR CHILDREN, INDUSTRY PARTNERS, OFFICIALS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
THE THEME OF THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL TOURIST GUIDE DAY IS:
TOURIST GUIDES; OUR GUARDIANS IN PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING GREEN TOURISM.
WE BELIEVE THAT TOURIST GUIDES ARE IN THE UNIQUE POSITION TO ACT AS THE GREEN GUARDIANS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SITES AND CITIES CREATING AWARENESS OF BOTH THE NATURAL/GEOGRAPHICAL AND MAN-MADE ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH THEIR ACTIVITIES TO TOURISTS.
PLEASE LET THE NFTGA KNOW WHAT YOUR ASSOCIATION PLANS FOR THE DAY. YOU CAN SHARE ON THE NFTGA FACEBOOK PAGE.
UPCOMING EVENTS TO CHECK OUT:
GANYC – GUIDES ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK CITY 50TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY. MARCH 1, 2024 . MORE INFO HERE: https://ganyc50.weebly.com/
DESTINATION CAPITOL HILL – MARCH 19 -20, 2024 IN WASHINGTON DC. IT’S AN ANNUAL LOBBYING EVENT HELD BY THE US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO THEIR WEBSITE: https://www.ustravel.org/events/DCH/