Greeters are
volunteer
Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...
s who welcome tourists in their city or region, and show them around for free as they would do with friends or family. It is a form of social tourism; the residents participate in the activities of the tourists, and tourists get to see the local life of the place visited. During a walk through the city, a Greeter will not only point out interesting or unknown places, but also talk about daily life in the city and listen to what the guests have to say about their hometown.
The term "greeter" may also refer to a person whose job is to greet customers entering a store, such as a
Walmart greeter
A Walmart greeter is an employee whose role is to wait at the front door of a Walmart store and greet all shoppers who enter. CEO and founder Sam Walton implemented the role nationally in the 1980s. The position is considered to be a big part of t ...
. Some other institutions have greeters, such as universities, although the title is not consistent.
History
The first Greeter initiative was
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
's Big Apple Greeters, founded by Lynn Brooks in 1992. It was hoped that the program, sponsored by Manhattan borough president
Ruth Messinger
Ruth Wyler Messinger (born November 6, 1940) is a former American political leader in New York City and a member of the Democratic Party. She was the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City in 1997, losing to incumbent mayor Rudy Giulian ...
, would improve New York's reputation as a "dangerous, expensive and overwhelming" place by letting tourists see it through the eyes of its residents.
[Levy, Clifford J. (September 13, 1992)]
"Take My Hand, I'm a Stranger in Pandemonium"
''New York Times''. This idea soon spread to a variety of tourist destinations across the world.
There are currently two Greeter websites: internationalgreeter.org (formerly globalgreeternetwork.com) is operated by the International Greeter Association, established in May 2019.
See also
*
Eiler Larsen
Eiler Larsen (March 27, 1890 – March 19, 1975) was a Danish-born vagabond who was known as "The Greeter" of Laguna Beach, California. From the 1940s until the early 1970s, the shaggy-haired, heavily-bearded Larsen grinning, waving, and boomin ...
- Town greeter of Laguna Beach, California (1890-1975)
References
{{reflist
External links
International Greeter AssociationFrance GreetersGermany GreetersBig Apple Greeter New YorkBerlin GreeterLund GreetersGöteborg GreetersVienna GreetersSherbrooke Greeters in Quebec Canada
Service occupations
Marketing occupations