History of the Association
In 1975, nineteen Vienna-based guides founded the Guild of Licensed Vienna Tourist Guides as a professional association dedicated to raising and maintaining the highest professional standards of its members, and to setting up a call centre. Over the years, the guild has been growing continuously, at present representing 450 members – more than 80% of them being female – who offer guiding in over 30 languages.
Top priority of the Guild is the highest possible standard of guiding. The silver Austria Guide Badge of its members is recognised internationally as the qualification of excellence in site and heritage interpretation, and in communication skills. It is awarded only following extensive theoretical and practical training and rigorous examinations. The training course comprises some 900 lectures followed by three examinations in German and at least one foreign language. To maintain the high standard of guiding, the Guild offers more than 80 additional lectures, tours and conferences per year.
The Guild is a member of the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG), which acts to bring together and strengthen professional tourist guiding links and standards across Europe, and the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), the international forum for tourist guides.
The Vienna Guide Service, the Guild’s call centre, gets you in touch with the guide most suitable to the requirements of the group.
Give it a go and see for yourself!