City tour guide training commences

The Tourism Ministry and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with Wilderness Explorers, have commenced a seven-week city tour guide training course on Saturday.

The training is mainly focused on equipping the forty participants with knowledge of the importance of tour guides in Guyana; and to educate them on the techniques, cultures, history and nature of tour guiding in Guyana. This training is in keeping with the observance of Tourism Month, under the theme “Community based tourism – preserving the unique character and culture of communities.”

It is expected that, after the training, the participants would be better equipped with the knowledge and necessary tools to disseminate information to tourists and foreigners.

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Indranauth Haralsingh, in addressing the participants, explained that the concept of tour guiding ‘is not something new, but is more effective in other countries around the world than in Guyana.’

He noted that the Guyana Tourism Authority is collaborating with the Wilderness Explorers to facilitate the training session, which will be conducted on weekends and some afternoons during the week. This, he noted, is an effort by the GTA to build a sustainable corps of tour guides for Georgetown, who will enlighten and educate visitors to Georgetown and its environs, and facilitate their propensities to explore.

He disclosed that the training will take the form of a classroom setting, where all lectures will be conducted by General Manager of Wilderness Explorers, Teri O’Brien, and Operations Manager of Iwokrama Rainforest, Paul Waldron; while part of the training will entail visits to various historic sites in Georgetown.

The training is offered to mostly first-, second- and third- year Tourism Studies students of the University of Guyana; staff members of the Guyana Tourism Authority, and persons from other agencies.

Haralsingh challenged the university students to capitalise on the training being given, since it will also benefit them as they pursue their degrees in Tourism.

Further, he stated that the GTA will work collectively with the private sector bodies to acquire internship for the students, so that they can further practice what they would have been taught, and become masters of their trade.