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Establish professional standards for tour guides through on going educational
opportunities.
Create a communication forum among local tour guides, tour operators
and tourism related cultural organizations.
Enhance the cultural awareness and quality experience of the Florida
Tourism industry in conjunction with local educational institutions.
Raise public, private and governmental awareness of the valuable role
of the professional tour guides in the State of Florida.
It is our strong belief that our organization will benefit the guides, tour
businesses, hotels, their guests and the visitors to Florida.
At present, no certification or licensing standards exist for qualified
guides in Florida. If guides presently working in Florida become certified,
new guides are trained, and a system is developed to provide information
about tour guides and their areas of specialization; it will have a
beneficial impact on the tourism industry in Miami and Florida. We applaud
the Miami Dade College training classes as an excellent first step for
certification toward further development of the professional tour guide
industry.
PTGAF offers participating members educational and networking opportunities,
a planned web site for dissemination of information relevant to the tour
guide profession and industry, and a tour guide directory in the future that
will provide information about the guide's area of expertise. This could
support connecting the right guides to the right tours and provide a
significant improvement to the present system.
As we set targets and methods for achieving this goal we look forward to the
support of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (“GMCVB”),
Southern Florida Concierge Association (“SFCA”), Destination Management
Companies (“DMCs”), and other tourism related organizations to enable us
accomplish this mission.
PTGAF membership is also open to organizations such as educational
institutions, travel publishers, and similar professions not directly
related to the tour guide industry but that support our mission.
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