Professional Tour Guiding 1: History of New Orleans
Next Course: Spring 2025, March 11, 2025 - June 3, 2025
Whether you are preparing to take the New Orleans Tour Guide Permit exam or just want to learn more about your favorite city, this course has something for you. Gain skills in the tourism industry and knowledge about the City of New Orleans. Students participate in eleven (11) classroom sessions and two (2) field trips that are guided walking tours of the city.
Classroom sessions consist of instructor lectures, guest speakers, and student presentations. Previous guest speakers have included representatives from the Tour Guides Association of Greater New Orleans, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours, Gray Line Tours, New Orleans Tours, City Sightseeing New Orleans, and New Orleans Music Tours. Students also have the option to take the Tour Guide Permit exam for the City of New Orleans on the last night of class.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will receive a Loyola University New Orleans Certificate of Completion and 4.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
Instructor: Frank Perez, B.S., M.A.
Permit information
The Tour Guide Permit is granted through the City of New Orleans' Taxicab & For Hire Bureau, not Loyola University New Orleans. Loyola administers the exam as a courtesy to our students. Further information about the permitting process, including additional fees due to the city, can be found on the City of New Orleans website.
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Program Details
Tuition: $450
Course Dates: Spring 2025, 03/11/25 - 06/03/25
Walking Tour Dates: Garden District Tour, French Quarter Tour
Exam Date (optional): June 3, 2025
Day(s): Tuesday
Location: Loyola Uptown Campus, Monroe Hall, Room TBD
Time: 6 PM - 9 PM
Contact Hours/CEUs: 40 contact hours/4.0 CEUs
*Please note that this course has a max capacity of 24 students. Registration will close once the class is full.

Scholarship Opportunity
New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund has partnered with the Office of Professional and Continuing Studies (PACS) to provide limited, full and partial tuition scholarships to eligible applicants. Applications open at various dates for select tour guiding courses. Please join our mailing list for notifications when NOTCF scholarship applications open.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Aspiring or Licensed Tour Guide of New Orleans
- Demonstrates financial need
- Must attend all sessions and ensure sign-in is completed
- Must complete the mid-point and final surveys emailed from pacs@loyno.edu
NOTCF scholarship applications are open.
Deadline to apply: Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Applicants will be notified of status via email no later than Friday, February 28, 2025.
Workforce Innovation & Opportunities Act (WIOA)
What is WIOA Training Funding?
In Louisiana, WIOA awards cover tuition and courseware fees for qualifying individuals to train in approved programs to advance their careers. WIOA award totals vary per individual application. Training programs are approved through the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LA Department of Labor), and individuals are approved for funding by the local workforce offices.
Loyola University's Professional Tour Guiding 1: History of New Orleans course is an LWC approved training program.
Am I eligible for WIOA funding?
Have you recently been laid off from your job? Have you only been able to obtain part-time work? Have you been self-employed, but the economy or a natural disaster has put you out of business? Have you been dependent on the income of another family member and are no longer supported by that income; and are unemployed or underemployed?
If you have answered yes to any of the questions above, you may qualify for the Workforce Innovation & Opportunities Act (WIOA) funding.
What are the next steps?
To find out if you qualify for WIOA funding, you may contact your local workforce office or register on the Louisiana Workforce Commission HiRE website. JOB1 serves as the local workforce office for the New Orleans region. If you would like to learn more about WIOA, or contact our Workforce Development & Partnerships Administrator, Chelsea Gaspard, at crgaspar@loyno.edu.
The application and approval process takes approximately 1 month. If you think you may be eligible for WIOA funding, we recommend that you start the application process 1-2 months prior to the start of the course.
Discounts & Additional Information
Discounts available for Loyola alumni, current Loyola students, Loyola faculty and staff, and active duty or retired military.
Must email qualifying ID to PACS@loyno.edu upon registration.
Learn more about the Loyola Professional and Continuing Studies registration information, including parking, cancellations, and the refund policy.
Related Courses
Professional Tour Guiding 2: Research & Storytelling
New Orleans African History & Culture