HamburgGuideSarah hands over her seat on the board of the WFTGA
I have now been a co-opted member of the board of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) for a year. I learned a lot and experienced some ups and downs, especially during the pandemic. I had a lot of fun and met great people from all over the world who put as much, if not more, heart and soul into the association’s work as I do. Last week at the hybrid conference of the global association, a new board was elected and I will now gradually hand over my work.
WFTGAHybrid with digital helpers a success
In order to hold an in-person event in these times and still have as many colleagues on board as possible, the Executive Board decided on a hybrid event after the original plan to hold the conference in person in Serbia had to be changed. The Board had six weeks to get this hybrid event off the ground: Website and registration, Zoom and technology, elections and counting, venue and broadcasting, all of this still had to be implemented – and WE DID IT – together with hybrid streaming! There are certainly still one or two corners to grind, but on the whole, the conference, workshops, excursions, delegates’ meeting and live broadcasts went to our satisfaction and we are looking forward to the next hybrid event…
WFTGA2024 in Syracuse, Italy
During our conference, the next venue was also chosen and Syracuse, Italy won out over the other finalists Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Istanbul, Turkey, Fukuoka, Japan. This means that at the end of January 2024, a lot of the world’s tour guides will gather in Syracuse to celebrate their exit from the pandemic hole, the tour guiding profession and ultimately themselves. I am very much looking forward to meeting the colleagues who perhaps only attended virtually in 2022. The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations is an affiliate member of the World Tourism Organization and is networked with various international tourism organizations. It also gives members the opportunity to exchange ideas.
Program of the WFTGA 2022
While the delegates of the national associations had to take care of a new board, a next destination and, of course, all the other things that an association has to take care of, guides were able to take part in workshops on photography and interpretation on guided tours as well as presentations by various speakers and excursions. Panel discussions were moderated and participants had the opportunity to ask questions. These videos can all be viewed on the association’s YouTube channel.
