18/06/2024
**PRESS RELEASE OF THE PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION OF TOURIST GUIDES**
**INSTEAD OF EXCELLENCE, DEGRADATION TO THE LOWEST AVERAGE**
The Ministry of Tourism, with its new draft law under consultation, devalues the essence of the profession of the Tourist Guide, which since the 1950s has been widely acknowledged as the decisive factor in the qualitative upgrade of Greek tourism.
In Greece, the Tourist Guide has never been associated with a specific monument or museum. Accompanying the visitor on tours throughout Greece, whether by sea or land, the guide connects the past with the present, interpreting all kinds of attractions of the country and highlighting its culture, i.e., the entirety of its cultural heritage.
This special role of the Tourist Guide was enshrined in the Tourist Guides Act of 1977, which the current leadership of the Ministry of Tourism, in the name of modernization, seeks to "modernize" by modifying the definition of the profession. The multifaceted role of the Tourist Guide is now limited to the presentation of organized archaeological sites and enclosed monuments!
Instead of the excellence that the government so heavily promotes, a supposed modernization to the lowest average is being pushed!
Instead of the Tourist Guide promoting a holistic experience, they are condemned to a one-time local service.
Instead of a qualitative upgrade, the degradation of the overall tourist product is chosen, with all that this implies for the country's image.
We Tourist Guides represent the entirety of our country, its past and its present, not just the hall of a museum.
June 18th 2024
