Since 2006, WFTGA has hosted training courses at its Cyprus International Training Centre (ITC), in collaboration with the University of Cyprus and with the support of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism. These courses provide experienced tourist guides with the opportunity to earn a WFTGA Trainer Qualification, while working alongside colleagues from across the globe in a truly diverse setting.
Meet the 12 graduates of the 2025 Train the Trainer Course:
- Anwar Alaqeel – Jordan
- Bahaa Mohedat – Jordan Bahaa Mohedat (About)
- Bart Connolly – Ireland Bart Connolly (About)
- Benayah Blum – Israel Benayah Blum (About)
- Marcej Madowicz – Poland Maciej Badowicz (About)
- Maria (Gemma) Oikonomopoulou – Greece OIKONOMOPOULOU MARIA (About)
- Menglei Jia – Qatar Menglei Jia (About)
- Moustafa Elshibokshy – Qatar Moustafa Elshibokshy (About)
- Rawdha Almarzooqi – UAE Rawdha Almarzooqi (About)
- Theano Adamopoulou – Greece Theano Adamopoulou (About)
- Ursula Sres – Slovenia ARGOS – Association of Regional Tourist Guides of Slovenia (About)
- Yoni Shapira – Israel Yoni Shapira (About)
The course was facilitated by Lead International Trainer Banafsheh Farahani and experienced local International Trainer Georgia Constanti. Marina Cocconi, ITC Co-ordinator, not only dealt with logistics, but also provided some of the now famed Cypriot hospitality.
In the photograph, our colleagues are gathered at the WFTGA Peace Mosaic — a legacy of the 9th WFTGA Convention, held in Nicosia in 2001 under the theme “The 21st Century: Guiding for Peace.” In recent years, it has become a tradition for each group of trainees to visit the Peace Mosaic, learn its story, and carry its message of peace back to their home countries.
Course participant Menglei Jia (Hilal) captured some impressions of the training course in this short video, which premiered during the closing ceremony of the recent 21st WFTGA Convention in Fukuoka, Japan. The convention’s post‑programme saw a Peace Ceremony in Nagasaki, calling for truth, context, and professional integrity. Tourist Guides remain Peace Ambassadors, now strengthened by the voices of our newly qualified National Trainers.