Scottish Tourist Guides Association

22/02/2024

Today is Say A Gaelic Phrase Day! We are celebrating World Gaelic Week this week and our phrase today is neach-iùil turasachd! This translates to Tourist Guide in Gaelic!

If you want to find out more about speaking Gaelic, why not check out SpeakGaelic, or learngaelic.scot !


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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

21/02/2024

On Wednesday 21 February, the Scottish Tourist Guides Association is proud to celebrate International Tourist Guide Day! Today, we recognise our passionate and hardworking tourist guide members who are the best ambassadors for their profession and for Scotland!

This special day also falls during World Gaelic Week / Seachdain na Gàidhlig, so we would like to say Tapadh leibh and Slàinte mhath to all the professional tourist guides!

Photo: Fergus Halliday ( on Instagram)


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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

19/02/2024

Today is the first day of World Gaelic Week / Seachdain na Gàidhlig!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Scots Gaelic is spoken by many throughout Scotland but you're most likely to hear it spoken in the Highlands and Islands, particularly in the Outer Hebrides (Na h-Eileanan Siar)

You may already be using some Gaelic words and not even realise!
Over the years, Gaelic has borrowed words from English, and English has also borrowed from Gaelic!

Words like "slogan", "caber", "trousers", and "galore" all have a Gaelic cultural origin!


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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

25/01/2024

Burns Night is a traditional Scottish celebration, taking place every year on the poet’s birthday January 25th to honour his life and works 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

During this special occasion, many people gather to enjoy a festive evening filled with poetry, traditional Scottish music, dancing and of course the Burns supper, traditionally consisting of haggis, neeps, and tatties! 🍽️

One of Burns most famous poems ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is known all around the world, commonly being sung to bring in the New Year 🥳

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

21/12/2023

The STGA would like to extend their wishes to everyone for a happy holiday season and all the best for the year ahead!! 🎅🎄☃️

Our office will be closed from 23 December – 2 January 🏢

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at the STGA! 🎉🥳🍾.............................................................................
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

30/11/2023

Happy St Andrew's Day! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 St Andrew’s Day celebrates Scotland's patron saint 🎉

Originating from Galilee, Andrew was a disciple of Jesus. He believed he was not deserving enough to be crucified on a similar cross as Jesus, choosing instead an X-shaped cross, which is reflected in Scotland’s Saltire flag. Upon Scotland gaining independence in 1320, marked by the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath, St Andrew was formally recognized as the country's patron saint 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Whether you're enjoying a traditional feast, dancing to Scottish music, or wearing tartan, it's a day to embrace the rich culture and heritage of Scotland 🏰



📷 Photo: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam.............................................................................
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

25/10/2023

We are delighted to announce that our Centre Director, Sandy Maxwell-Forbes, has been appointed as the new Honorary President of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association.
Sandy has been the Centre Director at The Great Tapestry of Scotland since the building was being constructed in 2019 and is also a Women in Tourism Top 100 Award Winner.

27/09/2023

Every year the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) celebrates World Tourism Day to recognize tourism's vital role as an economic activity and its impact on society and the environment 🗺️

This year, the theme of World Tourism Day is Tourism and Green Investments🌳

The Scottish Tourist Guides Association (STGA) has a number of guides who focus on providing environmentally friendly tours, some of which have achieved Green Tourism awards 🏆

To help travellers plan a sustainable and responsible journey to Scotland, VisitScotland provides advice on eco-friendly travel 🧳





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🏴 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

11/08/2023

Have you heard the old saying, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"?

Dr Thomas H. Bak, Blue Badge Guide, begs to differ!

Come see his show at the Edinburgh Fringe and learn how guiding has influenced his other career as a university lecturer and researcher

Book your tickets here:

https://www.thestand.co.uk/performance/15661/old-dogs-need-new-tricks-/20230827/fringe
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🏴 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

10/08/2023

Yesterday, we had a fantastic view of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships from our Stirling office 🤩

An incredible event with still more to come today and tomorrow in Stirling and across Scotland 🚵‍♀️


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🏴 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

30/06/2023

🦉If any night owls were listening to BBC Radio 2 in the early hours yesterday, you may have heard two of our Blue Badge Guides who were on OJ Borg’s Midnight Mastermind.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Liz Lister and Helen Houston host their own podcast, Scottish Blethers where they explore topics that are live and happening in Scotland

❓ On Midnight Mastermind, they tested the host with his knowledge of Scottish Landmarks - you can listen on demand and see how well you can do!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001mzpv
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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The Scottish Tourist Guides Association is the only body of trained and accredited tourist guides in .

🏆Established in 1959, recognised and recommended by the Scottish Government and .

🌍 Tourist guides in over 20 different languages.

OJ officially ‘unofficially’ starts the weekend!

21/02/2023

16/11/2022

Another award for Scotland's tourism. Our guides have many specialisms, including golf.
www.stga.co.uk

For the first time in the nine-year history of the World Golf Awards, Scotland has been awarded the ultimate accolade of "Best Golf Destination in the...

04/11/2022

Fancy being a professional tourist guide? Follow the link for details

We are delighted to announce that the next Blue Badge Guide Training Course will take place from the autumn of 2023 to the spring of 2025. You can find further details under Guide Courses.

19/10/2022

One of our guides, Hannah McKay Tait gives commentary on Elsie Inglis. Follow the link to find the audio.

Discover Edinburgh through art with our City Walking Tour. This podcast series travels along the historic Royal Mile by exploring stories and places connected to Scottish artworks in the National Galleries of Scotland collection.

03/10/2022

Check out the beautiful artwork of all our UNESCO World Heritage sites.

These were composed as part of the release of the World Heritage Trail. Love them.
https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/unesco-trail/

08/09/2022

A sad sense of loss today at the loss of our Queen. Thank you
Thank you for your dedication, duty and service to our country.
Rest in peace ma'am

07/09/2022

All of our 13 UNESCO heritage sites have now have a trail.

Find information on Scotland's UNESCO Trail, including what UNESCO is, the types of designations, and how you can help conserve Scotland's sites.

02/09/2022

Happy Friday

10/06/2022

Good news- USA lifts covid testing for international travel.

The CDC will not require pre-departure COVID testing for U.S.-bound air travelers, starting June 12, according to a senior administration official.

25/05/2022

Join Blue Badge Guide Ranald Shepherd as he tells the story of Scotch Whisky.



https://youtu.be/zDcX3wTot50

10/05/2022

We have exciting new stories in May for Visit Scotland's Year of Stories 2022, including the story of Mary Queen of Scots' escape from Loch Leven Castle.


https://www.stga.co.uk/year-of-stories-2022/may

May is a rich month for events in Scotland’s history and members of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association can now tell you some of the amazing stories behind them.

24/04/2022

May sees the puffin coming ashore to breed on our shores. We are blessed with many marine animals and birds on our shores. Why not book our guides to take you there www.stga.co.uk

22/04/2022

Blue Badge guide Ross Tilbrook tells the story of how the Eurovision Song Contest came to Edinburgh in March 1972.
https://youtu.be/9PegO34oGgA



For more stories and events go to https://www.stga.co.uk/year-of-stories-2022/march

Blue Badge guide Ross Tilbrook tells the story of how the Eurovision Song Contest came to Edinburgh in March 1972.

20/04/2022

For Women’s History Month, March, and Scotland’s Year of Storytelling, STGA guides celebrate the life of a woman who advanced women’s rights: Sophia Jex-Blake. Learn how she convinced the powers-that-be at the famous University of Edinburgh to admit women as students, allowing them to become doctors.
https://youtu.be/kgtFOVd2lAY
For more stories go to our website https://www.stga.co.uk/year-of-stories-2022/march

On International Women's Day, we remember a woman who pioneered medical education for women.

04/04/2022

Tributes have been pouring in after the death of popular Scottish Blue Badge tourist guide Richard Thomson at the age of 65 on March 20.

Edinburgh based Richard qualified as a Blue Badge Guide in 1988 and was one of the longest serving members of the STGA. He was a familiar figure at Edinburgh Castle in his trademark long coat.

Richard appeared regularly in the Scottish press over the years as he enthusiastically promoted his profession.

He also acted as an inspiration to his fellow guides with his good humour and encouragement especially to newly qualified colleagues.

Tributes have been pouring in after the death of popular Scottish Blue badge tourist guide Richard Thomson at the age of 65 on March 20, 2022.

31/03/2022

Prayer Book inscribed by Mary Queen of Scots to go on display in National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh today.

History Scotland is your number one online resource for Scottish history and nostalgia, bringing you daily news and expert articles on Scottish heritage, history and events.

28/03/2022

Watch the story of Scotland's National Covenant starring our kilted guide, Jim Leslie.
https://youtu.be/JoPx1c5IbVM

For more of our stories visit our webpage https://www.stga.co.uk/year-of-stories-2022

on 28 February, 1638, the National League and Covenant was signed in Greyfriars Churchyard - arguably the most important document in Scotland's history