Today is International Tourist Guide Day. This initiative by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations honours the tourist guide profession, one of the pillars of the city’s tourist offering.
In Brussels, almost 800 guides ply the capital every day. All of them contribute greatly to showcasing the city’s cultural heritage. International Tourist Guide Day, on 21 February, is the occasion for visit.brussels to honour these ambassadors of the capital. Almost 800 of them roam the streets of the Brussels-Capital Region each day. Thanks to them, more than 150,000 visitors, tourists, Belgians and ‘Bruxellois’ explored, roamed, and discovered the city in 2017. A bit of history…
The tourist guide profession appeared in 1958, when contemporary tourism in Brussels was born following the World Exposition. An association quickly sprang up, with the majority of guides in Brussels becoming members. A few years later, other groups of guides were created and specialised in order to offer alternative tours on topics like Art Nouveau, urbanism, architecture, history, and green spaces. True ambassadors of the city…
Today, 57% of tourist guides are freelancers, 41% are volunteers, and 2% are employees. For 82% of them, it is a second job, with 18% classing it as their main job. All of them participate in showcasing the capital’s cultural heritage: Brussels, its history, its buildings and its great characters, like Charles V, Victor Horta, and Jacques Brel. Passionate about the capital and the innumerable treasures it hides, guides spark the curiosity of visitors with various topics. From beer, to Brussels legends, to street art, they sift through all aspects of the Region’s history and heritage.
Whether on foot or by bus, bike, segway, 2CV, horse and carriage, boat, or even tuk tuk, guides never stop diversifying, always offering unique and original tours throughout the year.
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