International Tourist Guide Day 21 February in Iceland

Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 7 Location: Iceland

Professional tourist guides in Iceland guided for free 85 foreign tourists around the city center of Reykjavik on International Tourist Guide Day, 21 February 2009.

The initiative was very well received at visitor centers, hotels and guesthouses where the event was promoted, and of course the guest who enoyed a free guided walk accompanied by a professional tourist guide.
Nearly half of the guests who enjoyed the free service of professional guides arrived for the first departure at eleven o'clock in the morning. Departures thereafter took place every half hour until three o'clock.

The guests were guided in English, German, French and Scandinavian languages. The walk started at Hallgrimskirkja Memorial Church in Reykjavik and included the old city center.

The shortest walk of the day lasted 40 minutes and the longest 2 hours as the duration of the trip depended on the demands and wishes of the guests.

The weather played a role during the day. The Iceland Meteorological Office issued a storm warning for the afternoon which materialised, bringing heavy rain. The poor weather probably caused some people to refrain from taking a guided walk in the city. The tourist guides on the other hand were prepared for rain or shine and did not mind the weather.

Tourist guides Elín Sigríður Konráðsdóttir, Friðrik Rúnar Guðmundsson, Hólmfríður Gísladóttir, John C. Spencer, Skúli Möller, Steingrímur Gunnarsson og Ursula E. Sonnenfeld provided guidance during the day. Also two students at the Iceland Tourist Guide School, Guðrún Þorkellsdóttir og Ólafur Tryggvi Magnússon who both performed very well. Guðjón Jensson tourist guide joined the group of tourist guides after lunchtime but by then there were already enough guides available to provide the service.

Stefán Helgi Valsson, project leader of the International Tourist Guide Day, extends gratitude to all those making the event possible. Without the guide's effort the event would never have taken place. Also thanks to Hrönn Vilhelmsdóttir and Þórólfur Antonsson owners of Cafe Loki where the touristguides and guests were able to rest between trips, and Ursula Spitzbart who assisted in promoting the event.

Stefan Helgi Valsson

Read the story and see pictures:

http://icelandtourguide.blogspot.com/2009/02/iceland-international-tourist-guide-day.html
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Stefan Helgi Valsson
Tourist guide in Iceland
http://frontpage.simnet.is/valsson/