We are the Official
Tourist Guides
Association of the
Valencian Region
Our roots
The Association of Official Tourist Guides of the Valencian Autonomous Region was born after the unification of the three most representative associations: Apit Valencia, AGUITUR Alicante and Guías Castellón, bringing together more than 100 Official Tourist Guides.
The commitment was sealed in 2015 and the new Association was presented at Fitur Madrid on 22nd January 2016 with the support of all the public bodies of the Valencian Community. Our Association was selected as a valid interlocutor in front of the different authorities’ bodies.
Thus, we open a collaborative and representative path that offers training, visibility and defence of the profession to its associated guides. However, our Association invites all other associations to participate in its proposal which will be organised with a single President elected by the whole assembly and each province in regional assembly will elect its Vice-President. This is the best way to unite the territory and serve our colleagues in Valencia, Alicante and Castellón. Here begins the history of our Professional Association “Official Guides of the Valencian Community”.
Tourism law in Valencia Region
The activity of the Tourist Guide is regulated in the Valencian Community according to regulations protecting areas declared to be of Cultural Interest, Historic-Artistic Ensemble, World Heritage, etc.
According to Valencian Laws 62/1996 and 90/2010 only and exclusively Official Tourist Guides duly accredited and authorised by the Valencian Tourist Board can carry out guided tour activities throughout the territory of the Valencian Community. Failure to comply with this law is classified as a very serious administrative offence.
Offering or contracting services to UNAUTHORISED guides not only affects the quality of tourism but also violates the law. Please, demand the license number of each guide to verify its legality.
The purpose of the tourist guide is to provide tourists, on a regular and paid basis, with information services on cultural, artistic, historical and geographical matters during their visits to museums, monuments, historical-artistic sites and other places which, due to their historical, cultural, geographical or ecological importance, appear in the catalogue approved by the Valencian Board of Tourism or in the Register of Goods of Cultural Interest of the Valencian Government in the field of historical heritage.
The profession of guide is legally regulated in the Valencian Community to safeguard tourists and visitors, as well as the heritage and culture of the Valencians.
See regulatory decree. Click here
FamTrips and training actions
From the Association we develop two actions for the promotion and training of its associates: Famtrips or “tourist familiarization trips” y training actions.
FamTrips
Our Famtrips are aimed to our members to let them know about tourist destinations, institutions, museum spaces, etc.
From finding out about towns that are positioning themselves on the map on a tourist and cultural level, finding out about new museums or even, for example, finding out about thousand-year-old organisations such as “the Water Court” in Valencia. These actions are carried out periodically, or proposed by the members themselves or, sometimes, by a tourist destination that discovers the need to make the Official Guides aware of their excellence. Here you have a video of the FamTrip developed by the “Tribunal de les Aigües de València”.
Training actions
Our Association collaborates with different bodies such as the “Red CdT de la Comunidad Valenciana” or the” Invat.tur centre”, where we request training courses for our members or promote their training. In addition, other institutions show their collaboration in continuing with the training, both regulated and unregulated, but which add a “plus” to our members by providing information and training to work as an Official Tourist Guide in the Valencian Community.
What is CEFAPIT?
CEFAPIT is the Confederation of Spanish Guides to which the Association of Official Guides of the Valencian Community belongs.
Belonging to CEFAPIT means passing a series of controls or audits of activities, administration, economy, etc. which allows each Association of Official Tourist Guides to belong to this Confederation if the relevant requirements are met. Every year an Assembly is organized in a Spanish city, where the presidents or delegates of each Association must attend to present their activities, accounts, participate in working groups, training, etc.
If each Association submits its documentation in an adequate manner each year, then membership of the said Confederation is renewed. CEFAPIT recognizes an Association as representative of each Spanish province if it complies with these quality standards. From the Association of Official Guides of the Valencian Community we enter through our 3 provinces: Alicante, Valencia and Castellón. Therefore, in these annual meetings, organised by CEFAPIT, we can attend either with a single representative, our president, or with the 3 vice-presidents, one for each province of the Valencian Community.
Being a member of CEFAPIT means being a member of the European Federation of Tourist Guides. This Federation is the one that watches over the figure of the guide at a European level, offering defence of the profession in the face of changes in the European Union, training, representation, etc. It meets annually in a European city to report on the situation of each National Association (Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, etc). In the year 2015 it was organized in Moscow. Here you have a video illustrating the activity carried out.
Belonging to CEFAPIT means belonging to the FEG and therefore to the WFTGA, which is the World Association of Tourist Guides. It is a worldwide Association that watches over the figure of the Official Tourist Guide. It organises an Assembly every two years in a different world city and guides from all over the world meet to work on the situation of the Official Tour Guide, their training, regulations, master class, etc. In January 2017 the assembly was held in Iran.
From our Association of Official Guides in the Valencian Community we have been attending Assemblies at a national, European and world level in the last few years, transmitting to our members the knowledge and decisions taken in these vital meetings for the figure of the guide. The maximum representation, through our Association, is more than assured, since at a professional level, we belong to and are aware of what is happening in Spain, Europe and the World.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Who can belong to the Official Guides Association of the Valencian Region?
Any person qualified as a Professional Tourist Guide in the Valencian Community according to current regulations.
Can a guide who is qualified in another part of Spain or Europe belong to the Association of Official Guides of the Valencian Community?
Yes, by transferring their documentation according to European regulations and presenting their documents. This person will be “recommended” to take the next call for examinations for guides in the Region of Valencia.
Does the Association give work to its associated Guides?
Absolutely not. AGOCV is a Professional Association of Tour Guides and NOT a company. AGOCV does not provide work, nor does it work as a company, nor DMC, etc.
How do I apply to join the Association?
You must start the registration process: 1st Registration and 2nd Payment of the annual fee stipulated at …. , by means of a payment gateway (PayPal or credit cards). Once the 1st + 2nd process has been completed, you will have access to our Social Network and all our work, communication and networking tools, etc. To maintain your “membership” the system will automatically “remind” you to re-enter the relevant fee each year.
Does belonging to the Association mean that we accept some kind of conditions?
NO. The member of the Association is a free professional with his own fees and his own way of acting. However, belonging to the Association means ensuring a good code of conduct and behaviour with colleagues and clients.
How do I apply for membership of the Association?
By e-mail to our secretary info@guiasoficialescv.com NOT paying the fee is not a synonym for cancelling; you must previously notify a member of the board of directors, otherwise the fee will be accumulated.
Does the Association have fees?
NO. Our Association provides services to its members but it does NOT provide services to third parties: nor to other companies, institutions, etc. Therefore, the Association has NO fees. It is its members who have fees and provide services to third parties. Its members may group together to work on projects and freely reach agreements with other companies in accordance with market law, but our Association does not have rates with companies to provide guided services. The association can only help making communication between groups of members and third parties easier. The tours shown on our website are developed by certain members and the user books directly with them. In case of any consultation or need to have an Official Guide, the Association, in strict order and taking into account variations such as language, will pass this request or work to an associate to provide the service, but the Association will never charge for any service.