International Guide Academy

What International Guide Academy does

International Guide Academy (IGA), founded in 1973, is a privately held occupational training school that certifies individuals to work as Tour Directors (leading multi-day group tours) and Tour Guides (delivering local-area tours, step-on motorcoach narration, airport meet-and-greets). It is headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, and delivers two core products: a nine-day, in-person Tour Director Certification in Denver conferring the proprietary Certified International Tour Manager (CITM) credential, and a self-paced video Tour Guide Certification available globally upon enrollment. Pricing is a one-time tuition of $1,895 for the Tour Director program and $895 for the Tour Guide program, with a bundled option at $2,590; all graduates receive free lifetime job placement assistance.

The school's platform is simple and human-centric: in-person classroom instruction plus a video delivery layer, taught by a roster of over 15 instructors who are all currently working Tour Directors or Tour Guides. Marketing and enrollment run direct-to-consumer via the bepaidtotravel.com website, phone outreach, social channels, and a free catalog funnel, with company President Daniel Slater personally handling prospective-student calls. IGA is licensed and bonded by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board and operates under Colorado HB22-1049 student protections.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The business model is straightforward transactional tuition, supplemented by a long-running B2B placement side-effect: an opt-in directory of 150+ Tour Operators and Cruise Lines that hire graduates, drawing students from approximately 85 countries across six continents and providing IGA with durable, low-cost inbound demand. There are no outside investors, no AI/ML product surface, no mobile app, and no API offering; IGA is a bootstrapped, instructor-led occupational school rather than a software company.

Name

International Guide Academy

Legal name

International Guide Academy

Website

https://bepaidtotravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

International Guide Academy, founded in 1973 in Aurora, Colorado, is a privately held occupational school that certifies individuals as Tour Directors via a 9-day in-person Denver program and as Tour Guides via a self-paced video program, serving career changers worldwide and providing lifetime placement assistance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training & Certification

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAOAF

Certification & Training Providers (Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard, Guide Training)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Educational Adventure Programs (Outdoor Education, Skill Development)

SECONDARYTHAKAFAB

Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies

Travel & Hospitality/Travel Agencies, Tour Operators & OTAs/Specialty/Niche Travel Agencies (Luxury, Adventure, Honeymoon, etc.)

Keywords

• Tour director training
• Tour guide certification
• Travel industry education
• Professional certification programs
• Career training services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tour Director Certification: One-time certification program for Tour Director training delivered in-person in Denver, Colorado over 9 days (80 hours). Tuition covers all books, materials, instruction, and access to instructors outside class hours.
2. Tour Guide Certification: One-time certification program for Tour Guide training delivered as self-paced video. Students can start immediately upon enrollment and complete on their own schedule.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

International Guide Academy (IGA) delivers two professional certification programs for the travel industry. The Tour Director Certification is a 9-day, 80-hour in-person intensive held in Denver, Colorado, leading to the Certified International Tour Manager (CITM) credential. The Tour Guide Certification is delivered as a self-paced video program, training individuals to serve as local guides for walking tours, motorcoach narration, airport meet-and-greets, and convention support. Both programs include free lifetime placement assistance connecting graduates to over 150 tour operators and cruise lines.

Product overview

International Guide Academy offers two primary certification programs: the Tour Director Certification (leading to the CITM designation) delivered as a 9-day in-person course in Denver, Colorado, and the Tour Guide Certification delivered as a self-paced video program. Both programs include free lifetime placement assistance as a standard benefit. The Tour Director program focuses on preparing professionals to travel with groups internationally, while the Tour Guide program trains local experts who lead tours within their own communities. The academy was founded in 1973 and is licensed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tour Director Certification (CITM) A 9-day in-person intensive certification program (80 hours) held in Denver, Colorado, training individuals to become professional Tour Directors who lead group tours for Tour Operators. Curriculum covers travel industry terminology, tour logistics, public speaking, motorcoach narration, hotel procedures, emergency handling, and career placement. Graduates earn the Certified International Tour Manager (CITM) designation exclusive to IGA alumni.
• Tour Guide Certification A self-paced video certification program teaching individuals to become local Tour Guides providing walking tours, step-on motorcoach narration, airport meet-and-greets, and convention support within their local area. Students can start immediately upon enrollment and complete on their own schedule from anywhere globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tour Director graduates have been hired by companies in 85+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• EF Education First (EF Educational Tours): Major educational tour operator hiring IGA graduates for group leaders. Functions as both a hiring partner and a partial alternative, since EF runs its own internal tour leader training at scale that competes for the same talent pool.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Major online education platform partnering with universities and companies to offer professional certificates. Relevant as a broad incumbent that could launch or expand travel/hospitality credentialing programs that compete with IGA.
• National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS): Long-established outdoor education and wilderness guide training provider. Comparable as a brand-recognized guide training institution, though focused on wilderness/adventure rather than motorcoach and tour operator settings.
• The Knowledge Academy: Large global professional training provider offering a broad catalog of short courses and certifications. Comparable as a general professional training operator; IGA sits in a more specialized niche within this broader training landscape.
• Udemy: Mass-market online learning marketplace hosting thousands of tour guide and travel-related courses. Represents the structural low-cost competition for IGA's self-paced Tour Guide video certification.

Others

• Road Scholar: Not-for-profit educational travel provider listed among IGA's hiring partners. Adjacent rather than competitive, but represents one of the demand-side employers for IGA-certified tour leaders in the educational travel segment.
• WorldStrides: Large educational and student travel operator also listed among IGA's hiring partners. Comparable through its demand for certified tour leaders, though it operates tours rather than trains guides.
• International Association of Tour Managers (IATM): London-based membership and professional body for tour managers offering its own CTM credential. Adjacent to IGA through overlap in professional certification of tour directors, but operates as a membership association rather than a paid training school.

Direct peers

• International Tour Management Institute (ITMI): San Francisco-based training school that certifies professional Tour Directors and Tour Managers, operating a similar in-person curriculum with small cohorts. Closest direct competitor to IGA's Tour Director certification in the US market.
• TourGuideTraining.com: Online tour guide certification program offering self-paced video courses for aspiring local guides. Closest analog to IGA's Tour Guide self-paced video certification, competing for the same career-changer audience at typically lower price points.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/bepaidtotravel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BePaidToTravel
• Facebookfacebook.com/bepaidtotravelwithiga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/106504337
• Instagraminstagram.com/be_paid_to_travel

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Guide Academy