A Greeter in France is a volunteer host, an ambassador of the place they call home.

Greeters are local residents who are passionate about their city or region and wish to help visitors discover it in a friendly, unique, personal, welcoming, and enthusiastic way. They are not professional tour guides. Their aim is to share, freely and simply, a human experience built on the exchange of personal knowledge, emotions, and local anecdotes.

They are ambassadors of their local area, offering visitors the opportunity to experience its richness through a walk based on human connection in a small group, sharing knowledge and discovering the place according to the interests expressed by the visitors.

Greeters in France follow a shared framework that shapes their approach to welcoming and sharing with visitors.

• An intimate knowledge of their local area and the pride of showcasing its heritage, culture, and unique energy.
• Welcoming visitors in small groups, encouraging discovery and attentive listening, ensuring a simple and personalized exchange for mutual enrichment.
• Volunteering and selflessness, rewarded by smiles, sincere conversations about ways of life, and sometimes even the beginning of a friendship.
• Openness to other cultures. Respect for differences. Tolerance. Understanding. Exchanges with people from all over the world without discrimination.
• Responsible tourism, with small group welcomes and environmentally friendly travel methods (walking or cycling).

The history of Greeters

In 1992, Lynn Brooks wanted to erase the negative image of New York as a frightening and overwhelming city. She wanted people to discover her city as she loved it.

With the support of her network of friends, she began offering tourists unusual walks organized by local residents through the neighborhoods of the “Big Apple.”

The first Greeters organization was born.

Today, her idea has spread all over the world, including across around one hundred cities and regions in France alone.

Would you like to become a Greeter yourself? Here is how to do it.

Lynn Brooks founded the Greeters in New York in 1992 – Duration: 1:59 minutes