The Iceland Tourist Guide Association is an organisation of professional tourist guides and was founded in 1972. By that time, most its 27 founding members had already worked as tourist guides for many years. They realised the necessity to form an association to establish themselves as professionals and to negotiate a common salary for their services. Training courses were held to enrich the members’ knowledge and skills.

The Iceland Tourist Guide Association’s first commitment is to promote and increase the professional quality and integrity of its members. Its second commitment is to negotiate salaries for its 540 members who are able to provide guiding services in 18 different languages.

The Iceland Tourist Guide Association represents the interests of all professional tourist guides in the country. Full membership of the Icelandic Tourist Guide Association is granted to those who have passed a comprehensive one-year training programme, approved by the Ministry of Education and authorised by the Icelandic Tourist Board.

The Iceland Tourist Guide School (Leiðsöguskóli Íslands), established in 1976, is the only institution in the country which meets this criteria. Further, only members who have full membership may wear the association’s quality logo, a circular badge with the inscription: “Island Guide”.

The Iceland Tourist Guide Association is a member of the Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ). It has the exclusive nationwide right to negotiate wages for all tourist guides working in the country. Icelandic labour law clearly states that the association’s wage agreement represents the minimum salary payable to all tourist guides working in Iceland, regardless of the their nationality or for which company they work. Act on the rights and obligations of foreign undertakings that post workers temporarily in Iceland and on their workers’ terms and condition of employment, No. 45/2007

A list of certified tourist guides in Iceland can be found here. Tick boxes for enska = English, þýska = German, franska = French. Another 15 languages are available.

The Icelandic Tourist Guide Association is a member of the Inter-Nordic Guide Club (ICG) and the European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (FEG).

If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact us.

Office opening times: Tue – Thu 12-15 Tel: + (354) 588 8670 Email: info@touristguide.is