Tourist guiding in Malaysia started in the early 1960s. The first official tourist guide certificate training course was organised in Kuala Lumpur in 1964 under the initiative of the late Mr. S.S. Virik, who was then the Honourable Chairman of the Kuala Lumpur Tourist Association. At that time, the lecturers and examiners involved were drawn from the various heads of governmental departments related to the tourism industry. A total of 64 participants attended the course, with 40 successfully awarded the certificate in tourist guiding.

The first tourist guides body in the country was formed on 27 September 1966, known as the Penang Tourist Guides Association. Subsequently, the Kuala Lumpur Tourist Guides Association was formed in 1967 and the Johor Tourist Guides Association in 1972. It would not have been possible without the enthusiasm of these three tourist guides associations, namely Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor, with a sense of hope, responsibility and courage, which conceived the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council (MTGC). As a result of their vision to better the tourist guiding profession with a national platform in Malaysia, MTGC was officially registered on 28 June, 1976 under the able founder President, the late Dr. Kon Fah Pen.

The prime objectives then, and still are today, to target Malaysian tourist guides to commit to professional practices thus maintaining the highest level of competence in their work, coordinating and organising of tourism related education and upskilling courses, looking into the overall interests and the welfare of tourist guides, promoting understanding and fellowship amongst all tourist guides association of Malaysia and to provide a platform for dialogues and discussions between the tourist guides, the tourist guides associations, other tourism partners and the government.

The late Dr. Kon Fah Pen served MTGC as President for 12 years until 1988, with Mr. Raymond Chan for 12 years until the present, with Mr. Jimmy Leong Wie Kong taking over the Presidency since the year 2000.

A call for MTGC to restructure was made known on 23 July 2002 during the 1st National Tourist Guides Conference. This was a response to an official nationwide survey conducted by MTGC in the year 2000. The results of the survey were analyzed and released at the beginning of the year 2001.