Illegal tour guides are a plague on the industry, posing risks to its future, the Cyprus Tour Guides Association said on Sunday to mark World Guide Day on February 21.

Those legally allowed to operate tours are only graduates of the School of Guides of the ministry of tourism after the issuance of the relevant licence, they said.

The past two years were especially difficult for tour guides in Cyprus and around the world because of the pandemic, the association said.

Support for the industry is essential and essential for the tourist sector, it added.

It added that the tour guide is the ambassador of the country, as he conveys to the visitor an objective interpretation of its history, culture and natural environment.

“The tour guide has to create experiences for the visitor to not only return to his country satisfied, but to lead him to return to the island,” the association said.