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NEWSLETTER COLUMNS I write a column on negotiations each month for the Lighthouse Point Magazine About Lighthouse Point MagazineJon Frangipane is a published ASCAP composer, currently concentrating on writing children and adult musical plays, some of which are being performed on South Florida stages. As a pianist, Mr. Frangipane has performed in Broadway Theater and recorded with R.C.A., Vanguard, Mercury and Atlantic Records. As a conductor and music arranger, he has toured with many singers and orchestras throughout the United States. His choral arrangements have been published by Plymouth Music, Warner Bros. Music and Colle Voce Music. Currently, Mr. Frangipane is publisher/editor of a monthly family & community publication, Lighthouse Point Magazine, which services an area between Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale and delivered free of charge to all single-family homes in Lighthouse Point. | 
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I Write a Quarterly Column for the Professional Tour Guide Association of Florida on Topics Relating to Tour Guides. I also am an Art Deco Guide and am certified by the Miami Design Preservation League. | | | | PTGAF | | | | PROFESSIONAL TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA | | | | It is our pleasure to announce the creation of the Professional Tour Guide Association of Florida, Inc. (“PTGAF”). Our group was formed in response to the need to raise the quality of the tour guide profession in the State of Florida. | | | | PTGAF’s mission is fourfold: | | | | Establish professional standards for tour guides through on going educational opportunities.
Create a communication forum among local tour guides, tour operators and tourism related cultural organizations.
Enhance the cultural awareness and quality experience of the Florida Tourism industry in conjunction with local educational institutions.
Raise public, private and governmental awareness of the valuable role of the professional tour guides in the State of Florida.
It is our strong belief that our organization will benefit the guides, tour businesses, hotels, their guests and the visitors to Florida.
At present, no certification or licensing standards exist for qualified guides in Florida. If guides presently working in Florida become certified, new guides are trained, and a system is developed to provide information about tour guides and their areas of specialization; it will have a beneficial impact on the tourism industry in Miami and Florida. We applaud the Miami Dade College training classes as an excellent first step for certification toward further development of the professional tour guide industry.
PTGAF offers participating members educational and networking opportunities, a planned web site for dissemination of information relevant to the tour guide profession and industry, and a tour guide directory in the future that will provide information about the guide's area of expertise. This could support connecting the right guides to the right tours and provide a significant improvement to the present system.
As we set targets and methods for achieving this goal we look forward to the support of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau (“GMCVB”), Southern Florida Concierge Association (“SFCA”), Destination Management Companies (“DMCs”), and other tourism related organizations to enable us accomplish this mission.
PTGAF membership is also open to organizations such as educational institutions, travel publishers, and similar professions not directly related to the tour guide industry but that support our mission. |
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