Adhering to its statutory and ideological goals, the AAPTG has been implementing various initiatives for the past 7 years in order to develop the professional knowledge and skills of its member guides, and to increase their professionalism.

In the past years, as a result of cooperation with various local museums, scientific and educational centers, state and public institutions, a number of courses were held, such as " History of Armenia", "Armenian Church History", "Armenian Architecture", "The Great Armenian Genocide", "Armenian Culture" and other topics.

Being a member of the "European Federation of Tourist Guide Associations “ since 2021, the AAPTG has set a task to develop the professional skills of its member guides in accordance with international standards.

Considering the importance and responsibility of the process, it took 2 years to formulate the project, discuss it with specialists, develop and test the methodology.

So in January-March 2024 it became possible to implement this very important and responsible project.

Taking into account the number of the AAPTG members (about 100), working groups were created and the project was implemented in 3 phases.

As a result, more than 90% of the member tour guides were trained during the three-day intensive courses.

The course schedule was quite tight and full.

The topics studied during the courses were as follows:

  • History of the AAPTG
  • AAPTG Chart
  • Tourist Guide Ethics
  • AAPTG Members Code of Conduct
  • Successful Commentary
  • Rhetoric
  • Psychology of a Person. The Role of Temperaments and Needs in the Work of a Tourist Guide.
  • Group Dynamics
  • First Aid
  • Management of Conflict Situations. Relationships with Colleagues.

All the participants were tested at the beginning and end of the courses, which clearly showed the participants' initial knowledge and skills and their positive change at the end of the courses.

Tourism is one of the most dynamically developing and rapidly changing fields in the modern world. The target groups among tourists, their expectations from the trip, as well as the requirements for the profession of a guide are also changing quite quickly.

In order to strengthen the role of the tour guide in modern tourism, to increase the ranking and competitiveness of Armenian tour guides in the field of international tourism, especially to develop and highlight the professional abilities of the AAPTG tour guides, the association, among other scientific and academic initiatives, will more frequently initiate and implement programs aimed at the development of professional skills.