GANYC (Guides Association of New York City) is the

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

of licensed New York City

tour guide A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religio ...

s. Established in 1974, it is one of the oldest tour guide associations in the United States. GANYC is a member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. With a present count of approximately 341 members, GANYC represents nearly 10% of the guides licensed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with an estimated 4,000 guides currently licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. The organization's mission is provide

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

about touring through a series of internal and external programs. It also advocates on behalf of New York tourism industry workers, such as in response to

overtourism Overtourism is the congestion or overcrowding from an excess of tourists, resulting in conflicts with locals. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines overtourism as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessi ...

concerns at the

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in 2019 or after tourism shutdowns during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. They have also worked with city agencies on behalf of better conditions for tourists, including an ongoing legislative battle involving sightseeing bus guides. It has also acted as an aid in finding government assistance for its constituents, such as after the

September 11th Events Pre-1600 * 9 – The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends: The Roman Empire suffers the greatest defeat of its history and the Rhine is established as the border between the Empire and the so-called barbarians for the next four hun ...

attacks in 2001. The organization is run by an all-volunteer Executive Board, with elections occurring among its membership every two years. GANYC's current president is Emma Guest-Consales.

History

GANYC was founded as the Multilingual Guides Association of New York City in 1974. In 1979, the organization changed its name to the Guides Association of New York City to better reflect its growing recognition outside of New York as the professional organization for tour guides in New York City. In 2012, GANYC began to hold its monthly meetings at various sites of historic and cultural significance and also introduced industry partner membership and strategic affiliations to more closely engage with businesses and organizations interested in supported tour guiding. Its membership provides tours in all five NYC boroughs and covers approximately 10% of all New York City sightseeing guide licensees.

GANYC Apple Awards

GANYC hosts an annual awards ceremony to honor the best in New York City culture, preservation and tourism in a dozen categories. Previous hosts have included Tony award-winning broadway musical star

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

, cabaret performer

Mark Nadler Mark Nadler is a New York City-based cabaret performer, actor, and comedic pianist. He has been described as "one of New York's most acclaimed singer/pianists" and a "virtuoso" of classical piano. Early life and education Nadler was born and raised ...

, and podcast hosts the Bowery Boys.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:GANYC Professional associations based in the United States Organizations established in 1974 1974 establishments in the United States Organizations based in New York City Travel-related organizations Tourism in New York City