Tourist guides are able to help travellers understand the culture of the region visited and the way of life of its inhabitants. They have a particular role on the one hand to promote the cultural and natural heritage whilst on the other hand to help ensure its sustainability by making visitors aware of its importance and vulnerability.
Tourist guides are representatives of the cities, regions and countries for which they are qualified. As it depends largely on them if visitors feel welcome, want to stay longer or decide to come back, guides therefore contribute considerably to the perception of the destination.
BS EN 15565:2008 specifies minimum requirements for the provision of professional tourist guide training and qualification programmes.
It emphasises the importance of area-specific tourist guides to high quality provision of tourism services, while still supporting European Union efforts to facilitate free movement of provision of services within its member states. This will be achieved by a common high standard of qualification for tourist guides in all European countries.
BS EN 15565 specifies competencies and outlines a framework of appropriate trainig programmes. It recommends the common skills and knowledge guides should have and the conditions under which they should work. BS EN 15565 also specifies the practical trainig and assessment procedures tourist guides should undertake.