Athens tour guide school to reopen, after seven years

The guide school, which had provided vocational training to tour guides, was shut down in 2010.
Kountoura had pledged to reopen the school, noting that the training and education of tour guides was a high priority issue for the ministry, and finally obtained the necessary funds for the school to resume operating once again, in line with the proposals of the tourism ministry and the national guides' federation.
The JMD approving the guide school's operating rules was published in the government gazette. The school will function as a post-secondary vocational training school that accepts Greek citizens, EU citizens and non-EU citizens on a points-based system provided they are legally resident in Greek and fluent in the Greek language.
Up to 70 pct of the places in the school will be filled with school leavers and 30 pct by holders of a tertiary education degree. Based on a decision of the Tourism Minister to be issued in the coming period, the precise date for the start of classes and other details will be issued in the coming weeks.
The measure forms part of the effort to improve state tourism training, which is a priority for the tourism ministry.