The Emilia-Romagna tour escort certification landscape changed dramatically on April 7, 2026, when the Regional Government approved Delibera No. 505, suspending — indefinitely — the issuance of professional tour escort certification pathways and the launch of new training courses for Accompagnatore Turistico (Tour Escort) and Guida Ambientale Escursionistica (Environmental Hiking Guide, or GAE).
This is not a minor bureaucratic adjustment. It’s the direct consequence of a Constitutional Court ruling that is rewriting the rules for Italy’s entire tourism profession framework.
The trigger: Constitutional Court Ruling 196/2025
Everything stems from Ruling No. 196/2025, published in the Official Gazette on December 24, 2025. The Court declared unconstitutional a law from Tuscany that established and regulated the professions of Tour Escort and Environmental Hiking Guide.
The principle is unequivocal: Italian regions cannot create or regulate new professional figures. Full stop. There is no regional legislative power that operates “in the meantime” while waiting for national legislation. No room for substitute regional rules.
In plain terms: every regional law governing access to the Tour Escort and GAE professions — including Emilia-Romagna’s own L.R. 4/2000 and DGR 1515/2011 — is potentially unconstitutional.
What Delibera 505/2026 actually does
The Regional Government, acknowledging this constitutional incompatibility, has ordered the following with immediate effect:
- No new training courses may be submitted for authorization.
- Courses already submitted but not yet authorized as of April 7, 2026, will not be approved.
- No new editions of previously authorized courses may be launched.
- Courses already underway before April 7 may be completed as planned.
The Region has also committed to advocating, through institutional channels, for the recognition and valorization of certifications already issued, should the national government decide to regulate these professions at the state level.
The Tour Guide profession was already sorted
It’s worth noting that the Tourist Guide (Guida Turistica) profession in Emilia-Romagna had already been suspended at the regional level since 2017 (DGR 1535/2017). With the passage of Law 190/2023 and Ministerial Decree 88/2024, the tourist guide became a nationally regulated profession, complete with a national qualification exam managed by the Ministry of Tourism and a national registry of licensed guides.
For Tour Escorts and Hiking Guides, however, no national legislation exists. This gap is what makes the current situation so critical.
The national picture: what to expect
The technical coordination body of Italy’s Regions has already opened discussions with the Ministry of Tourism to determine whether the State intends to regulate the Tour Escort and Hiking Guide professions. Emilia-Romagna has stated it will push for national regulation.
But until that happens, we’re in a regulatory limbo: the Tour Escort profession is no longer regulated at the regional level (at least in Emilia-Romagna), and it has never been regulated at the national level.
What this means for working Tour Escorts
One crucial clarification: this delibera does not ban the practice of the profession. It suspends the regional certification procedures. Those already certified continue to operate legally. Those completing a course started before April 7 can finish it.
The issue affects anyone who was planning to obtain certification in Emilia-Romagna: that path is now frozen.
And it concerns — looking ahead — every Tour Escort in Italy. Because if the Constitutional Court’s reasoning applies to Tuscany and now to Emilia-Romagna, it potentially applies to every Region that has legislated on the matter. It is reasonable to expect other Regions to follow with similar measures in the near future.
The EU dimension
The delibera also references European Union law — specifically Articles 49 and 56 of the TFEU on freedom of establishment and free provision of services, as well as Directives 2005/36/EC and 2013/55/EU on professional qualifications. The argument is straightforward: any regional regulation that restricts access to tourism professions creates an obstacle to professional mobility and is incompatible with EU law.
Our take
This delibera confirms a trend we’ve been tracking at TourLeaderPro: the regional certification system for Tour Escorts in Italy is being dismantled. Not by political choice, but by constitutional mandate that the Regions cannot ignore.
The real question now is: will the State step in with national regulation? And if so, with what entry requirements? What happens to the thousands of professionals already certified at the regional level?
Nobody has definitive answers today. But one thing is certain: the regulatory landscape for Italy’s tourism accompaniment professions is changing fundamentally. Professionals in this sector need to stay informed and prepared.
Legal references:
- Regional Government Delibera No. 505 of 07/04/2026 — Emilia-Romagna Region
- Constitutional Court Ruling No. 196/2025 (Official Gazette, 24/12/2025)
- Emilia-Romagna Regional Law No. 4/2000
- Emilia-Romagna DGR No. 1515/2011
- Law No. 190/2023 and Ministerial Decree No. 88/2024 (Tourist Guide reform)
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance on your individual professional situation, consult a qualified legal professional.