As the lockdown eases in the UK, Blue Badge guides are adapting their procedures to comply with industry and government directives of social distancing while ensuring that our visitors still enjoy a truly British experience. These procedures can be, in some cases, tours and itineraries that suit small groups (usually one family or a small group with people from two different households). Other tours can be delivered using remote audio devices so our guests can listen and enjoy while remaining socially distanced.
Visit Britain launched a ‘We’re Good To Go’ Industry Standard to reassure visitors that our guides understand the new regulations and comply with it. So if you see any of our guides with this mark, it means that they understand the guidance from Public Health England and had a COVID-19 Risk Assessment in place. If Government guidance changes, the “Good to go” Blue Badge guides will respond accordingly.
This “ring of confidence” for the badged Guides is timed to coincide with the gradual return of tourist and tourism across the nation. The British Government Digital, Culture, Media and Sport department just announced the green light so that guides are able to take groups of up to 30 on walks outside provided that they have undertaken a risk assessment and are mitigating against any risks identified. The same level of 30 applies for indoor sites as well.
It is important to emphasise that all Blue, Green and White Badge Tourist Guides went through a very strict general training to be qualified, so they are familiarised with effective and sensitive group management techniques. We believe that this kind of expertise is particularly critical in this moment of recovery for the tourism industry.
Here are some examples of guides who already are complying with those guidelines – go in “Find a Guide”, choose the destination or the kind of tour you would like and look for the green badge on the right corner of the photo!
Also, please don´t forget to check that some of our guides have been offering exciting Virtual Tours around the UK!
More than “good to go”, we look forward to showing you some of the very best that Britain has to offer!