Philadelphia enacted a law in April to require Center City tour-guide operators to be certified, licensed and knowledgeable.
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown's bill requires the guides to pass a test on Philadelphia history and geography before they can lead tours in the areas between the rivers and from South Street to Vine.
So now tour guides can be fined or face suspension if they make up stuff. And of course the tour guides are not happy. A couple of them are challenging the law claiming it violates their first amendment rights.
3 comments:
Odd - I would have thought tour guides would be happy about this, since it raises the barrier to entry for competitors. Maybe it's because Philadelphia is the birthplace of freedom.
I bet that this will spawn a new business of secret tourists (like secret shoppers) who go around on tours verifying accuracy on the part of the tour guides.
I'm hoping a black market in wildly inaccurate tours will soon spring up.
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