ABOUT THE DUBROVNIK TOURIST GUIDES’ ASSOCIATION
Till 1978, tourist guides were organized within one of the sections
of the Tourist society of Dubrovnik. Thanks to the considerable
efforts invested and according to the Code on Civil Associations
at the time, the Society of tourist guides ''Dubrovnik'' (DTVD)
was founded on 15 September 1978 and was registered under the
same name on 1 December 1978 (counting 72 members). Shortly
afterwards, the DTVD became an important actor of the Dubrovnik
tourist offer and ever since it has been functioning with success
for 28 years.
Its members being promoters of the Dubrovnik's fame, the Society was granted
the award «Sunčani cvijet» from the Dalmatian Chamber of Commerce in 1985, as
well as the award of the Croatian Tourist Board ''Anton Štifanić'', granted for
special contribution in tourism in 2003. Two of our members received individual
annual awards through the action undertaken by the Croatian Tourist Board called
«Man – the key to the success in tourism».
We would like to emphasize that despite of the war devastations in the Dubrovnik
region, the Society has never interrupted its activity. On the contrary, it was
successfully reregistered into an association in 1992 according to the new law
regulations. All the documentation concerning the membership has been saved from
the war damage as well, which was particularly helpful for the members whose
certificates were lost for different reasons during the war. Thanks to those,
they could prove they were licensed and continue to work later with the tourists
coming back, without being submitted to additional exams.
From 1 June 1999, the Association operates in the premises hired from the Town
of Dubrovnik at the address Gundulićeva poljana 9.
According to the 2006 statistics, the Association counts 284 members, 264 working
actively. Most of the tourist guides are permanently employed in different domains,
the guiding thus representing just an additional activity (108). Guiding is the
primordial activity for 73 guides, while the others are retirees (27) or students
(6).
STRUCTURE OF GUIDES ACCORDING TO THE WAGES
Aiming towards the homogenization of the Association, different
activities are organized in the winter period. Once a year, at
the occasion of the International Tourist Guides’ Day, a solemn
dinner entertained by dancing music is prepared for the membership
and for the agents of the local tourist agencies the Association
closely cooperates with.
The most important amongst winter activities are lectures on different topics
of interest in the field of tourist interpretation or on the themes concerning
general knowledge. In that regard, professionals, such as art historians, archeologists,
historians, both from Dubrovnik and the entire country, are engaged as lecturers.
Professional training trips are organized from time to time as well.
While other tourist guides associations throughout Croatia mediate
in the distribution of jobs between the agencies and their members,
this activity in Dubrovnik is left to the local tour operators
who choose and hire guides according to the free market enterprise.
In order to facilitate the payment of their services through
the central accountant office, the Association has founded its
own tourist agency Vodiči d.o.o. with one employee only, performing
all administrative jobs concerning the Association and the Agency.
The majority (227) of guides is paid through the Agency and a
minority through their own enterprises, craft or travel agencies
they work for (permanently or temporarily).
STRUCTURE OF THE MEMBERSHIP ACCORDING TO THE PAYMENT MODE
STRUCTURE OF THE MEMBERSHIP ACCORDING TO THE GENDER
STRUCTURE OF THE MEMBERSHIP ACCORDING TO EDUCATION
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