The quality of tour-guiding services in Australia is receiving a boost, thanks to the launch of the National Tour Guide Accreditation Framework. The new initiative will be available to all tour guides in Australia, and will provide a skills benchmark for the tourism industry. The framework was developed by Guiding Organisations Australia with government funding. In discussing the program, Fran Bailey, minister for small business and tourism, says that professional tour guides are the public face of Australia, and often the first point of contact for a large percentage of visitors.
