About the Institute
The Institute is the regulatory body for professional tourist guides in England, Northern Ireland and Jersey. We develop, maintain and promote standards of excellence in tourist guiding.
We are a non-profit-making organisation, generating income through examination and external course fees and subscription fees from our members.
The Institute's role includes the following:
- To accredit tourist guide training programmes
- To provide examinations and/or assessments for Blue Badge, Green Badge and White Badge tourist guide qualifications
- To award our Blue, Green and White Badge to successful candidates in our examinations
- To test language proficiency
- To train and accredit examiners, trainers and examination compilers
- To provide career development opportunities within the guiding profession
- To maintain the Register of Guides accessible to the public, of all qualified tourist guides in England, Northern Ireland and Jersey
- To issue the annual Photocard ID and to replace lost or stolen badges
- To seek, on behalf of the profession, to influence government, tourism bodies and the general public, promoting and protecting the qualification
- To provide a complaints process, investigate complaints and impose a range of sanctions for breaches of the Codes of Conduct of the tourist guiding profession
- To uphold and maintain the quality of the Blue, Green and White Badge qualifications
- To uphold the international reputation of the Blue, Green and White Badge qualifications.