Benefits For Members.
- Member of a professional body with recognised career path development (CPD)
- Recognised and vetted registration credentials.
- Collective marketing to tour operators and agents.
- CPD opportunities to suit your schedule.
- One-on-one marketing opportunities. (Tourist Guide Indaba)
- Bi-annual Printed directory listing of members
- Online listing of members and contact details
- Mentorship Program to help members with broadening their experience.
- Organised Financial planning (provident funds, savings, insurance)
- Resources to help members with BBBEE certification, Standardised contracts, and various travel-related insurance
- Registered professional designation (in the process of registration with SAQA)
Benefits For Tour Operators And Agents
- Properly vetted registered professional tourist guides.
- Language guarantee.
- Registered disciplinary process.
Membership Requirements And Procedures
Membership in the Institute of Professional Tourist Guides of Southern Africa (IPTGSA) is a professional designation to strive for with hard work and dedication. Professional status is not just handed to a certain few, but earned by any tourist guide that has made guiding his/her profession.
Membership Categories
- Aspirant Membership An Aspirant Member complies with most application criteria save for time-related experience. The membership fee is 50% of the professional membership.
- Professional Membership. Any registered Tourist Guide complying with application requirements.
- Honorary Membership. The EXCO may grant Honorary Membership to any person or organisation who, in its opinion, has contributed significantly to furthering the objectives of the Institute or has been a continuous full member for 10 years.
Membership will be annually and run from the first date when registration was issued and fees charged pro rata for that year. Renewal of all memberships will run from 1 March to the end of February. A break in continuity, for more than 3 months, will terminate membership and a full application will be required for re-registration.
The following criteria are required to make an application to become a Professional Tourist Guide
- Must be a registered tourist guide with NDT through one of the provincial registrars.
- A completed appropriate training course
- Received the corresponding certificate.
- Completed First Aid certificate
- Registered at the provincial government and have a registration number
- Subscribe to the Tourism Bill (Act 3 of 2014).CHAPTER 6 (extract of Chapter 6 of the tourism Bill (Act 3 of 2014) pertaining to Tourist Guides)
- Signed and acknowledge the code of conduct as detailed in the Regulations of the Tourism Bill (Act 3 of 2014)
- Must have qualified with a minimum NQF4 Guiding Certificate.
- Must have competence as determined by the South African Qualifications Authority in accordance with the national qualifications framework contemplated in the National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act No. 67 of 2008)
- Must have done more than 5 years in the tourist guiding industry.
- Must attend a panel interview of peer review.
- Must submit to Continuous Professional Development.
The procedure of Application for registration as a Professional Tourist Guide
- Register online at www.iptgsa.org by clicking Create an account on the User Log-in menu.
- After verification of your registration, you shall be notified by email with your username and password.
- On the application being successful you shall be notified in writing when your panel interview will take place.
On successful completion of your application, panel interview, and payment of the R1200 annual membership fee you will be issued a registration card and membership certificate.