The Tourist Guide Programme is a development pathway designed to support tourist guides in growing their careers and delivering exceptional visitor experiences. As the tourism professionals who often spend the most time with visitors, guides play a vital role in shaping perceptions of the destination and representing its tourism businesses, organisations and communities. The programme focuses on strengthening guiding skills, expanding destination knowledge, improving communication, building peer networks and creating access to employment and other professional development opportunities.

The pathway also introduces enterprise development, encouraging guides to build on their knowledge, experience and skills to develop locally owned tourism experiences and businesses. By supporting professional growth and entrepreneurship, the programme aims to strengthen tourist guides‘ role in the tourism value chain and enable them to participate more meaningfully in the local tourism economy.