Dallas has fewer than 20 certified tour guides, a strikingly small roster as the city braces for millions of visitors heading in for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. To close the gap, a new, five-week Certified Tour Guide Program led by veteran guide Alice Riggins Stevenson is racing to turn volunteers and locals into professional, multilingual storytellers. The class meets once a week for three-hour sessions at Dallas College’s Culinary, Pastry and Hospitality Center and wraps up this Saturday.
Riggins Stevenson pitched the training concept to VisitDallas and built a curriculum that covers Indigenous history, architecture, crowd management and voice pacing, according to The Dallas Morning News. Dallas College routed the course through its continuing education program so participants walk away with a credentialed entry into hospitality and tour work, not just a one-off workshop.
Dallas Will Be A Major Host City
Dallas will host a semi-final and eight other matches during the tournament, a scale that will test hotels, transit and tour operators across the region, according to VisitDallas. City and industry leaders say certified guides could be key to keeping visitors safe, on time and impressed when the schedules are tight and the crowds are international.
Numbers Backing The Rush
Projections suggest North Texas could see 3 to 4 million visitors during the June-July World Cup window, and airline bookings for June are running about 46.6% ahead of last year with international arrivals more than 100% higher, as reported by The Dallas Morning News, which cites Tourism Economics. Local forecasts also show hotel revenue expectations up roughly 30% for June and 50% for July, while short-term rental revenues are pacing nearly 69% ahead of last year.
Training For The Long Run
Organizers stress the program is not just a quick fix for one blockbuster summer. Instructors want multilingual guides who can interpret the city’s stories rather than simply translate words. Students, ranging from advertising producers to longtime residents who volunteered for World Cup shifts, said the course deepened their knowledge of neighborhoods and gave them practical skills for leading groups.
For Riggins Stevenson and allies at VisitDallas and Dallas College, the goal is twofold: meet the immediate demands of FIFA crowds and build a long-term pipeline of credentialed guides who can expand Dallas’ tourism offerings for years to come. If the early classes are any indication, the city will soon have a small but growing corps ready to talk Dallas to the world.
