Photo Source: FEG
The World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) and the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG) will promote their tourist guide members around the world through a new partnership launched with History Channel.
A leading factual entertainment channel, History Channel belongs to A+E Networks UK, a global media network reaching over 72 million homes across 100 countries.
“Our viewers are passionate about understanding the history that shapes the places they are visiting and by partnering with the WFTGA and FEG we are able to inspire their travel choices. With authentic insight from local experts and tourist guides we can all tell the story of a destination’s heritage,” said Adrian Pilkington, SVP Commercial and Digital Strategy, A + E Networks UK.
Photo Source: FEG
Through the partnership, History Channel aims to provide a platform for the WFTGA and the FEG to further promote and protect tourist guides as well as ensure that qualified tourist guides are recognised as the true ambassadors of an area through dedicated content on its TV and online networks.
“For over 30 years, we have been working with tourist guides globally to highlight the incredible work that they do for destination storytelling and to educate travellers on the rich heritage of a destination… We look forward to bringing these ambassadors to the forefront of travellers’ minds as part of this partnership,” WFTGA President Alushca Ritchie said.
The WFTGA has members from more than 106 countries, representing well over 250,000 individual tourist guides across the globe.
Delphi, Greece. Photo: GTP
“This partnership is a great opportunity for us all to demonstrate to the world what we have been doing with our visitors as qualified tourist guides in our own countries: interpreting our heritage, history, sites, monuments museums, historical settlements and cultural routes to promote these destinations, in a unique collaboration along with the WFTGA, HISTORY and the tourism boards,” FEG President Efi Kalampoukidou said.
FEG currently represents 28 member-organisations in 28 different countries with around 80.000 tourist guides in total.
History Channel will also look into forming brand partnerships with tourism boards and destinations across the UK and EMEA with the potential of further expanding across the globe.
In addition, A+E has also invited national tourism boards that are interested in branding partnerships to showcase their heritage tourism by featuring authentic personalities and stories from tourist guides.
The announcement of the partnership between WFTGA and FEG was announced on the sidelines of the World Travel Market (WTM) 2019 in London.
