8th World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations Convention 1999

International Day of the Guide 2000

PRESIDENT TITINA LOIZIDES went through the historical background on how IDTG was decided upon during the 3rd International Convention of the World Federation in Cyprus 1990.

The objectives of the day are as follows:

To enhance the image of Guides
Make Tourist Guides themselves aware of their role
Inform the public of what Guiding is all about
To make people aware of their cultural and environmental heritage
Make people aware of the problems that Tourist Guides face (traffic, security etc.)
To bring people closer to our profession through professionalism
Give direct messages to the public on issues concerning the Tourist Industry
Protect the environment and cultural heritage through professional management of groups.

In 1997/1998 some of the more original/unusual IDTG activities were in Norway, where guides offered tours to hotel porters, and in Greece, where guides cleaned the Acropolis, beaches and roads.
The President proposed that participants of The Day of the Guide 2000 should have an Official Opening Ceremony. Titina also proposed that the World Federation logo should be further promoted on merchandise like T-shirts and that we should have a catchy slogan to go with it. Several ideas were discussed during the delegates meetings and we finally agreed on: "Your Guide to the 21st Century".
China are very interested in taking part; there wasn't enough time for them to prepare anything for February 1999 but they want to contribute in 2000.

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