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Valencia’s tourism sector is thriving. Record after record is being broken as international visitors exceed 5.3 million in the first half of the year, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This surge is boosting local businesses like hotels and restaurants and is rippling through related activities, notably the work of official tour guides. Yet a persistent challenge shadows the profession: unlicensed guides offering tours without proper credentials.
“Our profession is regulated, but there is a lot of illicit practice. We notice it more than ever now,” says Ana Maria Galera, one of the city’s longtime official guides who has been showing people around Valencia for twenty years. She holds degrees in tourism and anthropology, and explains that since the end of the pandemic there has been a higher volume of visitors drawn to places in the Turia river city. Today there are times when there simply are not enough licensed guides. “If you want to work as a guide, there is work to be found,” she notes, adding that tourism niches that were less important in the past are gaining traction and growing in significance.
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“For example, there is a rising number of American tourists, school groups from France visit, and more couples and families seek guides for them. It is a high‑end tourism that wasn’t common before and now it is,” emphasizes the professional.
However, that influx and diversity of profiles also brings forward individuals who lack the necessary qualifications and attempt to imitate the profession. “People offer themselves online and, without any qualification, they recount information they have read elsewhere,” she criticizes.
To become a tour guide, in addition to holding a B2 language certificate in at least one foreign language, an examination must be passed to demonstrate that the information conveyed is accurate. Passing this test grants the guide an identifying number and a license that must always be visible while working. With this condition, the Conselleria de Turismo reported last week that among all autonomous communities there are 1,475 licensed guides, though a process has already begun to hire 247 more once those applicants pass the required tests.
Speaking on the matter, the regional Secretary of Tourism, José Manuel Camarero, says the exam has been tightened to deepen quality and professionalization, and he acknowledges a positive reception. “There is the possibility of good work in this sector, a dignified job. That makes it appealing,” explains the tourism official of the Consell about a form of employment that they do not see as lacking in professionals, but foresee growing in the main attraction hubs of the Community as it is a highly rewarding job.
“The great appeal of my profession is daily contact with people from all over the world. I love Valencia, and I have the privilege of sharing what my city is really like,” Galera emphasizes. She notes as downsides the instability and the low recognition many feel the job receives. “People do not understand the work behind it. We do a lot of retraining to maintain a high level of quality,” she says, adding that models like the ‘free tour’ approach, where clients pay what they think the tour was worth rather than a fixed price, do not help the profession’s prestige because working mainly for tips undermines the standing of the trade.
All of this comes with the reality that many guides do not contribute to the city while official guides do. They declare all earnings, carry civil liability insurance, and more. In a context increasingly marked by tourism fatigue and calls for more mindful tourism, Galera asserts that groups like the Association of Official Guides of the Valencian Community are taking steps in places like Valencia to ensure tourism is respectful and sensible. The aim is to maintain a thriving tourism sector that follows the rules and benefits the whole city.