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  1. Live Guides Remain Key to NYC Tourism

    As the NYC tourism industry continues what may be a long recovery, GANYC continues to emphasize that live guides are the ambassadors to this great city, and the key to getting the most in-depth and personal experience possible. We urge all visiting the city to hire a guide or book a tour to get the most out of your time here. New York has so many wonderful, talented guides... many of whom have worked very little (if at all) since the start of the COVID crisis.

    In addition to guides doing walking tours and coach bus tours, many NYC guides made their living making the double-decker sightseeing bus a human experience worth the cost. That ended in March 2020.

    The former guides of Big Bus were out in force recently in Times Square, protesting and raising awareness of the company's current policy of using only outdated, recorded tours (without any reduction in ticket prices).

    At the start of the pandemic, Big Bus laid off all their guides, for whom this dedicated work was their primary income. As Big Bus resumed its tours, it rehired guides in other cities but not New York. Big Bus customers now pay the same price as before for a less and more dangerous experience, in which the driver is now responsible for cueing up the recordings and answering customer inquiries while they are operating the vehicle. We urg everyone to tell Big Bus this is an unacceptable way to do business.

    Please visit Big Bus HQ at 723 7th Avenue or contact them at (518) 333-7747 to demand that they bring back their guides.


  2. GANYC Celebrates The Summer of NYC!

    The city has declared this "The Summer of NYC" and guides are ready for it! GANYC celebrated with a happy hour event at the wonderful Azalea Ristorante in the Theater District. This was our first in-person event, outside of many FAM tours, for our members since early March of last year. We thank Azalea for their hospitality, and thank all the members who gathered for good food, good drinks, and great company.

    To ensure everyone's comfort and safety, we did require proof of vaccination to attend. As we plan toward more in-person gatherings and meetings starting in September, we are still going to work to ensure the safest environment possible, as we all fight to bring this pandemic to an end.

    New York City is open for business, and we have been encouraged to see more and more visitors with each passing week. We encourage those visiting the city, or even locals looking to enjoy NYC themselves, to get the most out of their time by hiring one of the best professional guides New York has to offer. We cannot wait to help folks fall back in love with this great city this Summer, and beyond.

  3. GANYC Featured in Canadian Media

    Last month, GANYC President Emma Guest-Consales was interviewed by Montreal-based newspaper, Le Devoir. We thank them for spotlighting what a great destination New York remains, and how crucial tourism is to our culture and economy.

    You can read the article in the original French here: Des vacances et un vaccin à New York

    And a link to the Google Translate-d English version is: HERE.

  4. NYC News + Updates

    The past 2 weeks saw lots of events that spoke to major milestones in the war against COVID: celebratory fireworks as New York state passed 70% of adults vaccinated, news of a July 7 Canyon of Heroes ticker-tape parade for healthcare heroes and other essential workers who aided the city through the pandemic, the return of a full capacity (and fully vaccinated) studio audience for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert among return of entertainment, and more. And most importantly, so many stories from NYC guides of returning to work!

    As we enter "The Summer of New York" with cautious optimism, we want to again thank all our members and partners and affiliates for their support over this past year. GANYC has been working for years to be the most proactive trade organization for professional tour guides in the United States, and we doubled our efforts during this crisis.

    In addition to our continuing education for our members-- through our certification course, professional development programs, FAM tours, etc-- we have worked this past year to aid members in finding the assistance and resources needed to navigate this crisis. We engaged in media outreach to make sure that professional guides were not lost in the stories of those impacted by a changing world and economy. Our virtual GANYC Apple Awards celebrated this city and its resiliency. Our monthly meetings worked to spotlight great speakers. And our inaugural GuideWeek conference was a success thanks to all of you. And we created new initiatives, from the Tour Your Own City campaign to regularly updated health & safety guidelines, to safely help guides return to doing what they do best: being the storytellers and ambassadors of their city.

    As you ponder what your own Summer in NYC will be, some stories of interest:
     

  5. GuideWeek 2021: Thank You!

    Thank you to all (from around the globe!) who signed up for GuideWeek 2021, the first virtual event designed to meet the needs of and empower local tour guides. We hope that you enjoyed the two days of great educational events and webinars (recordings will be up on the main GuideWeek page soon!), and are enjoying the great, live virtual tours being offered during this week. We also thank our sponsors, and all those who gave their time to help make this event happen. After the virtual tours, our final day will be Friday, which is Recruitment Day.

    You can find the GuideWeek main page: HERE (you will need to be logged in to your account to view it).

    One of the sessions we did was "Coffee Talk with GANYC". Unlike all the great industry-focused panels, this was focused on our own organization, and helping better explain to the global guiding community what GANYC is and what we do. Board members and leaders on various committees provided info on the work does primarily for our 300+ members, but also the advocacy we do for the crucial NYC tourism industry. You can watch that segment here:
     

  6. NYC News + Updates

  7. Historic Districts Council Teams Up With a Guiding Spirit

    The Historic Districts Council has partnered with one of GANYC's Guiding Spirits, Joe Svehlak, for a series of video tours focusing on historic neighborhoods. The first 3 videos on their YouTube channel feature Joe showcasing the East 25th Historic District in Brooklyn, East Flatbush, and Sunset Park. In addition to decades of tour work, Joe has been instrumental in working with neighborhood groups to get lesser-known historical areas of Brooklyn landmarked by the city.

     

     

  8. The Summer of New York City

    Today, Mayor de Blasio announced his intention to have the city fully reopen on July 1st, promising "This is going to be the summer of New York City." This means full capacity returned to restaurants, theaters, arenas, museums, and all businesses.

    Broadway had previously set its own target date for shows to fully resume starting in September, which can now be met.

    NY Governor Cuomo gave a statement that was, more or less, in support of this target date for reopenings. Left fully up to the Governor, of course, are other decisions, like the much-needed restoration of 24-hour subway service, and the question of what targets will allow the state to lift its mask mandate. Of course, regardless, individual businesses or venues will still be able to make their own decisions (on masks, capacity, whether to ask for vaccination status/tests, etc).

    We urge all those who have yet to receive a COVID vaccine to do so as soon as possible, to ensure that we continue to push towards herd immunity this Summer. You can protect yourself, and help protect your community! City and state vaccine sites, as well as many pharmacies, are now taking walk-ins... the time of hard-to-get appointments and low supply is over! And a reminder that the vaccine is free, and safe. You can call 877-VAX-4NYC to find the site nearest you.

    And we have heard reports that many of our members have started getting freelance tour work again, if a bit sporadically for now, and we could not be more happy. This positive trend will only grow, as NYC moves closer to a fuller reopening this Summer. "We're all going to get to enjoy this city again, and people are going to flock here from all over the country to be a part of this amazing moment for NYC," the Mayor also stated today. We urge all those traveling to NYC (or locals looking to better explore their own backyard) to do so with those who know New York best... professional tour guides.

    You can find over 100 unique NYC tours on https://touryourowncity.com/ or peruse our roster of talented tour guides at https://www.ganyc.org/find-guide .

    Be well New York, and we look forward to seeing you out on tour very soon!

    [UPDATE: Gov. Cuomo has now announced that most capacity limits will be removed sooner-- May 19.]

  9. GuideWeek 2021, Presented by GANYC!

    Registration is now open for GuideWeek 2021!

    https://travelcampfire.com/guideweek/

    The event, which will take place May 10-14, is the first virtual event specifically designed to meet the needs of local tour guides. The 3 days of virtual education, recruitment, and networking will focus on empowering local guides around the world. As we all emerge from the tour hiatus forced by COVID-19, GuideWeek 2021 is designed as an aspirational event, one to get you excited about touring again, and to provide you with the tools you need to succeed as a tour guide in a post-COVID world.

    HIGHLIGHTS OF GUIDEWEEK 2021:

    • 10+ educational sessions featuring 45+ notable speakers from around the world of tourism     
    • Keynote address by Evita Turquoise Robinson, founder of the Nomadness Travel Tribe and one of the most influential and inspiring women in travel today
    • An opportunity to attend virtual tours from around the world*
    • A full day of virtual networking with recruiters from local and national tour operators, reservation technology companies, and OTAs, among others
    • Networking and socializing opportunities via the Campfire Travel platform, developed by TripSchool co-founder (and GANYC member/industry partner) Mitch Bach.  

    The educational sessions will be recorded, so even if you cannot attend live, you will have access to watch these great sessions at your convenience.* The full list of sessions is listed on guideweek.org.
    *Please note that the virtual tours will not be recorded and must be viewed in real time. 

    Registration costs are as follows: $20 for GANYC Members and Industry Partners; $30 for tour guides who are members of their local guide associations; and $40 for everyone else, including unaffiliated tour guides and members of the public. All registrations are final.

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GANYC is an association of independent tour guides. Each member is licensed by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. GANYC provides a listing of all member guides to the public. GANYC is not liable, or responsible, for contractual obligations made between clients and tour guides. GANYC stands for Guides Association Of New York City.
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