SMURF

The SMURF-project is a joint initiative between Fair Travel, Wild Sweden and the Swedish Centre for Nature Interpretation with an aim to explore the possibilities of securing a quality assurance on guiding in Sweden.

The background and need to the initiative can be found in the non-existing guide certification in Sweden. The quality of the various guides that host and lead tourists in Sweden is therefore hard to ensure. The pilot-project investigated what can be found in terms of educations and the need and interest for a certification of safari guides in Sweden.

Conclusion

The conclusion of the project is that there is indeed many different educations catering for future guides but there seem to be a lack for proper training for guides within the industry to enhance quality and status. It also seems that the industry response is positive, which would make a new safari guide course possible, with an aim to raise the quality of guiding interpretation in the Swedish Nature, but also to be used as a tool for quality assurance.

The baseline of this project has led way to the implementation of a certification for nature guides in Sweden, under the management of FUN – Föreningen för nationell Utbildningsform för Naturguider.