The WFTGA (World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations)’s main purpose is to promote, market, and ensure that tourist guides are recognised as the ambassadors of a region. They are the first and sometimes the only representation of the population a visitor will meet. WFTGA offers services to our members but also communicates to those in search of the services of professional area-specific tourist guides and where to hire them. We also actively promote our members’ associations and industry partners worldwide.

WFTGA came into being as a result of proposals put forward at the first International Convention of Tourist Guides, in February 1985.  The Federation was officially registered as a non-profit organisation under Austrian law after a second Convention held in Vienna in 1987. At each international convention the WFTGA grew and today the organization has members from more than 70 countries, representing well over 200,000 individual tourist guides, WFTGA has established an international network of professional tourist guides and today is the only global forum for tourist guides and continues to grow with the changes of this industry.

WFTGA encourages and supports the use of only area-specific tourist guides to member regions which keeps the local tourist guides working and ensures that visitors have accurate and professional services from our members’ regions.