Comments on: Norway to Strengthen Regulations for Tour Guides

By: Alice

Alice — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 00:21:10 +0000

I believe its best when no such regulations are in place – I’m a certified tour leader from another eu country where at the time where I started working there still was a requirement that later was waived and the whole professions of both tour leaders and tour guides were free to work without any certification. It worked – as many enthusiasts with far better knowledge were allowed to enter the market, those with certifications AND BOTH great skillset were still in demand and some of certified guides were naturally replaced by those enthusiasts mentioned above because they were simply unpleasant with some personality issues – it was no longer the case of “papers”, the market redefined itself very quickly. to answer some arising questions – yes, there were some travel agencies who were hiring some unprepared folks for little money, but these situations were evaluated quickly – these companies were loosing clients and with a little feedback on the internet it was pretty easy to find great people to fill in the spots. I’m a big fan of giving people the freedom to do what they do best 🙂

By: David

David — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 14:52:40 +0000

nothing happens without the complicity and complacency of the Norwegian government, let’s not be hypocrites, Who benefits from this million-dollar industry, they get what they pay for, unqualified personnel who work 13 to 18 hours a day for less than the minimum wage.
Both the shipping companies, the Norwegian government, the subcontractors of tourist services and the legal representatives of the companies know about the problem.
It is also worth mentioning that bus drivers that make the tours are coerced to work more hours than allowed by law, putting their lives and the lives of others at risk.

By: Sandy Whitman

Sandy Whitman — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:48:52 +0000

Glad to hear about the tightening up of tour guide requirements. On a tour we took a few years ago, our guide had to keep asking the bus driver about questions that were asked. She didn’t know much about Norway!