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Membership -- Join Us!
GANYC is the professional association of tour guides in New York City.
Are you a licensed NYC sightseeing guide? Then you should join GANYC!

APPLY: If you are ready to join our organization, our membership application is here.

If you are an organization or tour operator, you may be interested in our industry partner program.                                             

Benefits

  • General Tour Guide Liability Insurance available
  • Members-only FAM Tours and Site Visits
  • Professional Development Classes and Workshops 
    (including access to our Digital Learning Library with virtual FAM tours and PDPs)
  • GANYC Certification Course – “Gold Standard” of NYC Guides
  • Exclusive Access to a Network of Active Industry Professionals
  • Professional and Social Networking Opportunities
  • Job Board and Job Fair
  • Advocacy for Tour Guide Profession
  • Industry Partner Program
  • Public Member Profiles, Including Rotating “Featured Guide”
  • Domestic and International Professional Development Conferences
  • Governed by Our Constitution & By-Laws, Code of Ethics and Professional Standards
Tour operators regularly look first to our membership when hiring professional tour guides in NYC.
Join these ranks today!

Monthly Meetings

Our regular monthly membership meetings are open to members and non-members alike.

These meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month, from 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm, typically at various sites of interest throughout the five boroughs. Meetings generally have a guest speaker covering a topic of interest to NYC tour guides or NYC in general. Past speakers have been authors, activists, academics and historians.

Past recordings of GANYC Membership Meetings are available on our YouTube page.

Our Membership
Formed by licensed NYC tour guides in 1974, GANYC is one of the oldest, largest and most active tour guide organizations in the United States. If you know a NYC tour guide, chances are they are, or know, a GANYC Guide.

We're affiliated with the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (NFTGA; nearby member associations are in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago) and World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) and our members have access to respective networking and other benefits from both of these organizations.

Our members and industry partners run the gamut of the tourism industry and are tour guides and directors, tour operators, managers, freelancers, employees and everything in between. Some are full-time, others are part-time, with a variety of roles, including step-on guides, tour managers, walking tour guides, double decker bus guides, site ambassadors, working locally and over the road. For some this is a first job, others a second job, side job or retirement job. Collectively we are professional tour guides who advocate for ourselves and the vital role of our work in our industry.

Requirements for Membership
All members must have a current NYC Sightseeing Guide License to apply and to maintain membership, in addition to paying annual dues and adhering to GANYC's Code of Ethics.

(Need to obtain a NYC sightseeing guide license? Read our info: here!)

After submitting an application and meeting with our Executive Board, approved applicants become provisional members. Provisional members are granted all the benefits of full members, with the exception of non-Awards voting and board member elections (voting and running for office). After a minimum 12 months of membership, provisional members can request full membership. To do so, provisional members must attend a minimum of four monthly GANYC meetings and provide a letter of recommendation from two current full members.

First year's regular dues are $175 and payable upon membership approval. If joining from July 1 - October 31, the first year's dues are prorated to $87.50. From November 1 - December 31, regular dues cover the current and following year.

For renewals after your first year, you must pay the regular annual dues to maintain active membership.

If you have further questions, please contact the Membership Committee via email: membership@ganyc.org or see us at the Membership Desk at our next monthly membership meeting.

GANYC is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. 115 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10006

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