Tour guides, only 222 qualified out of 12,000 applicants for the first competition
About 12,000 candidates had participated in the written tests. Almost all failed
Key points
It had started with a boom in enrolments (almost 30,000), was then scaled down at the time of the first written tests (12,191) and ended with numbers that were far from the premise. With the oral tests, the first national call for tourist guides registered the qualification of just 222 'ciceroni', who will be included in the national list (Engt) established at the Ministry of Tourism, which currently has 14,000 members. This figure is considered insufficient compared to the needs of a tourist country like Italia: according to Demoskopika's estimates, in 2026 there will be 141.2 million arrivals and 478.6 million presences (up 2.1% and 0.4% respectively compared to last year). The call is to be held annually: the second edition will be held in June (for applications there is time until Tuesday 19 May).
The members
It has to be said that the volume of actual candidates was close to the estimates made at the planning stage of the competition, which spoke of a participation of around 10,000 candidates, with an expectation of an additional 5,000 entries for subsequent competitions. What is surprising, however, is the rejection rate in the written test: over 98% failed the first level of selection.
The stop to the written test
The written test consisted of a test with 80 multiple choice questions to be solved in ninety minutes. The questions concerned art history, geography, history, archaeology. But also tourism law, accessibility and inclusiveness of the tourist offer, and the discipline of cultural heritage and landscape. Few 'survived'.
On the other hand, almost all of the aspiring guides who passed the written test were able to obtain the qualification through the two additional tests: the oral test assesses communication skills, knowledge and in-depth study of the contents and consists of an interview, in Italian, on the subjects covered by the written test, as well as verification of the candidate's knowledge of the foreign language chosen at the time of application at a level of no less than B2 proficiency.
The technical-practical test consists of the simulation of a guided tour and assesses the practical skills of the tour guide and the ability to provide relevant information. The simulation is conducted in Italian and in the foreign language of the candidate's choice. For those who failed at the first attempt, there is the possibility to try again in June.
