Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Tour guides as a profession occupy an important place in the tourism industry. The tour guide’s role is associated with a variety of different social roles, such as a guide and mediator, an intermediate, as well as a “cultural intercessor” and an “ambassador.” For this reason, the tour guide profession requires a high level of qualification in order to guarantee the quality of the services provided, and to serve the public interest. Practicing the tour guide’s profession requires special training. Until the year 2012, tour guides training in Greece was provided free after the completion of a 2.5 years attendance at the tour guide schools of the Greek Ministry of Tourism. The system was deregulated in 2012, when a new law interrupted the function of the tour guides schools, and enabled university graduates to follow fast-track training programs of 2.5 months to become licensed guides. This deregulation has been criticized toughly by older guides, tourism professionals, and trade unions. In 2017, the fast-track programs ended, and the Athens Tour Guides School reopened. The purpose of the present research is to investigate the views of the tour guides on the adequacy of their studies, based on the high-speed system of tourism education, and on the prevailing system of the Guides School, their opinion on the institutional framework of the profession, and the working conditions and problems they face.