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Associations of tourist guide associations in Croatia, the Association of Regional Tourist Guides in Slovenia and the National Association of Tourist Guides in Italy before the election of representatives to the European Parliament addressed the future representatives with an open letter in which they ask for understanding and help for their profession.
We are transmitting the text in its entirety:
The biggest problem of tourist guides in the European Union, which represents an essential issue for our profession, is the way the European Commission interprets the directive that governs our profession in a way that does not respect the fact that the interpretation of cultural heritage is extremely important because it is the only one that exempts us from globalization.
Namely, due to the opening of the market, your country can be represented by any guide from another EU country, regardless of the fact that he has not received any education about your country.
We believe that our profession is expressly tied to the territory and that liberalization is not applicable to this profession, as is the rule in, for example, medical professions.
Following the above, in Item 71 of the Resolution of the European Parliament of March 25, 2021 on the establishment of an EU strategy for sustainable tourism (2020/2038(INI)), the European Parliament has already called on the Commission to "publish and share with stakeholders and member states good practices in regarding the profession of a professional tourist guide in order to solve the problems affecting that sector; believes that professional tourist guides have a key role in the promotion of cultural heritage in synergy with the local territory, its traditions and peculiarities; therefore believes that this profession should have adequate protection on the labor market in order to guarantee high-quality services while preserving open and fair market competition; calls on the Commission to analyze the lack of mutual recognition in the sector in order to determine in which areas the Union can achieve the necessary improvements".
Despite the above, we did not notice any improvements. That is why we are turning to you, asking for your support in amending Article 17 of Directive 2006/123/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on services in the internal market from December 12, 2006, which would include, in addition to lawyers, notaries, the post office... the activity of a tourist guide, which is necessarily related to the territory.
This provision also applies in the Republic of Croatia, as well as in other European member states. Some countries, such as Croatia, have achieved partial access, which means the stated obligation, except in protected localities where the activity of a local tourist guide can only be performed by a person who was educated in the Republic of Croatia.
According to the Directive on the provision of services, these are 'overriding reasons of social interest' which relate to "the protection of intellectual property; the objectives of cultural policy, including the protection of the freedom to express different views, and in particular social, cultural, religious and philosophical values in society; the need ensuring a high level of education, preservation of media pluralism and promotion of the national language; preservation of the national historical and artistic heritage".
Namely, we all agreed that the activity of a tourist guide, like the legal profession, requires certain specific knowledge, without which it is not possible to provide cross-border guide services and it cannot be compared with medical, construction or pharmaceutical activities that do not have border barriers. The Bar Association has succeeded in protecting the legal profession.
Please help to modify the overly liberal interpretation of the directives, which favors the interests of large tour operators, at the expense of quality protection, consumer protection, the profession, cultural heritage and national identity.
Indirectly, we ask you to initiate the procedure and proposals to reintroduce special provisions related to tourist guides to the Directive in question. The same is for us the problem of the existence of our profession, write the guides of Croatian Italy and Slovenia.
They sign the open letter:
Kristina Nuić Prka, president of the Association of Tourist Guide Associations of Croatia, Mateja Kregar Gliha, association of regional tourist guides of Slovenia and Anna Bigai, president of the National Association of Tourist Guides of Italy.
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Photo and source: Association of Croatian Tourist Guide Societies
