Association of Professional Tourist Guides

Chairman's Report for APTG AGM 2003

This has been another bad year for the tourist industry and many guides have been adversely affected. Most members have suffered loss of work and it is to their credit that they have continued to support our organisation through thick and thin despite the fact that many have been forced to take up other work to pay the bills. Throughout these difficult months I have tried to remain positive and deal with issues that will hopefully pay dividends in the future. Creating more awareness of the Blue Badge has been top of the list. While our efforts at trying to gain some form of monetary compensation from the authorities for work lost has not had any direct payback, it has raised the profile of our profession and our organisation. In June our motion to Amicus MSF conference on the plight of the tourist industry was passed and accepted as official union policy. During the year we have raised issues at meetings of BITOA (British Incoming Tour Operators Association), at ICOMOS (Monuments & Sites) etc. and been represented at the European Federation of Guiding and the World Federation of Guides. In March APTG had a stand at the British Travel Trade Fair held at Birmingham and we helped man the London Tourist Board reception desks at the World Travel Market later in the year. In November, we took the Minister for Tourism on a walk around St. James's and had the opportunity to raise some of the concerns of our profession with him while being followed by a crew from BBC Breakfast Television. This resulted in a very short interview with me about the effect another Gulf War would have on the tourist industry. The minister has also accepted our invitation to attend the Travel Trade Reception to be held in March aboard the Hispaniola and we look forward to that.

Last year's event was a great success organised by Gail Jones at the Orangery Kensington Palace and we hope this year will be as well attended.

The big news for our profession this year has been the establishment of the Institute of Tourist Guiding. In March approval was received from the Department of Trade and Industry and we are now in control of our own destiny. Born from the Tourist Guiding Foundation, set up over four years ago by our Association and the Guild of Registered Tourist Guides, the Institute is independent, democratic and national and dedicated to standards and qualifications. Our Association is totally committed to its success and several of our members are trustees, having been elected at its AGM in November. Under item 15 of the agenda for today is a full report from our member Fiona Grant who is co-president of the Institute.

The effect of the establishment of the Institute has been very positive for our organisation in more ways than one. Under item 16 of the agenda we will be discussing the role of APTG in the future and one of the issues will be the definition of the role of our association working alongside and complementary to the new Institute.

It is worth while remembering at this stage what APTG does for its members during the year. Apart from the profile raising activities mentioned earlier, members have benefited individually from their membership in the following ways; from the public liability insurance cover provided by AMICUS MSF; from the monthly mailings with news and information on sites etc.; from the monthly branch meetings where open discussion takes place about guiding, professional and Association issues; from an excellent winter programme of events and training; from the services of the legal department of AMICUS MSF; from the facilities of Whitehall College for training and conferences; and the provision of offices and meeting rooms for the use of members. For those of you who are driver guides APTG has taken a pivotal role in campaigning on behalf of members for exemption to congestion charging in London. Robina Brown set up our own driver guides association and has worked indefatigably ever since to obtain the exemption for driver guides. This is a great achievement. It is also worthwhile remembering that most of this could not be achieved if it were not for the services provided by so many members on a voluntary basis. To mention a few to whom we owe so much: Liz du Parcq and her team for the monthly inserts of information; Eddie Lerner for editing Guidelines; Ingrid Wallenborg and Karen Sharpe and their team for the Winter Programme; Tony McDonnell for Whitehall College; Steph Tickner for organising the monthly mailing and to all our site liaison officers who have kept us informed about developments at the sites.

Without financial resources we would wither and die. This year despite the hardships has proved to be a good one. Our promotion and marketing has taken off and the initiative instigated by Sue Mason last year to try to find new sources of revenue was taken up by Brian Harlock and the results have been amazingly good. He will elaborate in his report to you. Last year we embarked on the development of a new database on the Web and funding for this was going to be very difficult given our stretched financial resources. The day was saved by AMICUS MSF who advanced us £4,000 to help pay for it. Many thanks is due to Tony McDonnell, our Political Officer, for lobbying on our behalf. The database is now built and we are about to launch it for the new season. An innovative feature will be that members will update a large part of the data themselves. Addresses, phone numbers, guides' interests and background will be maintained by the individual guide, not by the central office. Those interested in keeping their availability on the web will do so as often as they wish. You will be receiving more information on this shortly.

We must grow if we are to survive and membership numbers have grown well. At the start of the year we were just over 400 and it gives me great pleasure to report that we should have 443 members at the end of this meeting if you approve the new members on the agenda today. We will be discussing other ways to grow under item 16 of the agenda.

One big change in the office has been the departure of Jackie Harris. She decided to move out of London for personal reasons and I would like to register all our thanks to her for the time she spent with us putting up with our idiosyncratic ways. We wish her all the best for the future. The Office is being manned by Cathie Krahorst on an interim basis and she is coping very well.

Finally I want to thank all members of Branch Council who have given me such tremendous support and encouragement during the year. Thanks must go especially to Robina Brown who as Vice Chair has always been at my side prompting and helping and without her dedication we would not have achieved as much as we have. I hope you will give her your vote for Chairman next year under item 7 of the agenda.

Thank you all very much for being so supportive during the year.

Alan Cross, January 2003

APTG Chairman's Report 2001/2
Annual report 2000
Annual report 1998