Global Networking Forum
New to WFTGA and want to meet other guides? Start here. The Global Networking Forum is a free, recurring online meet-up connecting tourist guides, heritage and nature guides, museum and church guides, tour managers and cruise managers from every continent. No WFTGA membership required.
Open to everyone who guides
Participation is open to all professionals engaged in guiding or visitor-facing interpretation: tourist guides, heritage guides and nature guides, museum and church guides, cruise managers, tour managers and tour directors. You do not need to belong to a WFTGA member association to take part.
Each regional session is hosted live by the local Area Representative team.
- Build connections with fellow guides and industry colleagues worldwide.
- Exchange best practices, fresh ideas and professional insights.
- Engage in discussions that address real-world challenges and opportunities in guiding and tourism today.
- Promote cultural sensitivity, professional excellence and sustainable tourism in line with the WFTGA Code of Guiding Practice.
Join your regional WhatsApp group
Guides on the same continent tend to face similar themes and challenges. Join the group for your region for day-to-day peer exchange between sessions.
Upcoming sessions
Register for the next Global Networking Forum sessions, pulled live from our events calendar.
Past sessions and recordings
Pulled live from the events calendar. Not every session was recorded.
10 Feb 2026
9 Feb 2026
Where the profession agreed to go next
Alongside the regular Forum, Area Representatives and guides met in person at the WFTGA Convention in Fukuoka to debate where the profession is heading. The roadmap runs to 2030: professional integrity and digital readiness, built region by region.
The five conclusions
- Certification protects visitors, heritage and guides.
- “Certified Tourist Guide” should be the consistent title.
- AI gives facts; guides give meaning.
- Even a “free” tour should respect certification.
- Training is moving to modular, peer-mentored, lifelong learning.
How it is being carried out
- Europe: advocacy and regulatory recognition against illegal guiding.
- Asia: training, digital skills and AI readiness.
- The Americas: practical tools for fair pay.
- Every region set its own SMART objectives, actions, leads and commitments.
Ready to connect?
Pick whichever fits you today. No membership required for either.