Journal of Tourism and Services - Vysoká škola obchodní v Praze

The Government Regulation No. 278/2008 Coll. of 23 July 2008, “about
the content description of a individual trades” [31] with effect from 14
August 2008 conducted by an amendment No. 130/2008 Coll., then
defines the content description for tourist guide activities in the field of
tourism as follows:
“Accompanying a group of people or individuals in the language of their
choice and interpreting about cultural and natural heritage of the country.
The interpretation contains particularly the information about the culture
(historical, artistic, archaeological, folklore, ethnological, culinary, etc.),
environment (geological, natural, climatic, etc.), individual locations
(historical, industrial, urban centers, etc.), places (museums , churches,
etc.) and areas (tourist regions, etc.). The ensuring of further necessary
activities related to the accompanying groups of people or individuals by
managing and supervising the itineraries, ensuring the programme, giving
the basic information during the tour, including practical information
relating to the destination and providing assistance to accompanied
persons”.
The mentioned amendment of the Act, which has not been debated by
the Ministry for Regional Development, as well as with the relevant
professional associations, significantly influenced and disrupted the
requirement to improve the quality of providing services by tourist guides.
In particular, the abolition of the Ministry for Regional Development
Decree No. 295/2001 Coll. “on implementation and content of the
examination of professional competences for the performance of “tourist
guides activities in the field of tourism” [27] , disrupted the system of
vocational training of tourist guides, especially after the adoption of the
European Standard EN 15 565 “Tourism services - requirements for
provision of professional tourist guide training and qualifications
programmes” [34] . Hence, one of the priorities in the field of professional
tourist guide training is preparation of qualifications for various levels of
guides according to the Act No. 179/2006 Coll. which would take into
account the European standard EN 15 565“ Tourism services -
requirements for provision of professional tourist guide training and
qualifications programmes” [34] and at the same time it will be the
document that would be, according to the Employment Act, the measure
for all retraining courses in this field under this Act. The existence of this
qualifications for guides are a prerequisite for a possible transfer of their
activities back into regulated (bound) trades.
There is certain confusion in the current version of the Government
Regulation “about the content description of a individual trades”, such
as:
● definition of tourist guide activity in the field of tourism within the free
trade “ Operating of the travel agency and tourist guide activity in the
field of tourism “, which was rejected the proposed version presented by
the Association of Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism
(SOCR) due to alleged problems with the proposed modification of the
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