Lack of qualified guides hampers tourism
The major problem in flourishing and promoting the country's tourism sector is the inadequate number of qualified tourist guides, said the industry insiders.
“The biggest problem right now is the lack of experienced and qualified tourist guides”, said Taufiq Rahman, director of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB).
Taufiq, also the founder chief executive of Journey Plus, said, “We are already far behind. The country does not have any government-approved tourist guide. “
Another tour operator and TOAB Director (Training & Research) M Masud Hossain said there is no institution in Bangladesh for producing qualified tourist guides. The country needs to develop a curriculum and a specific method to get eligible guides.
Responding to a question, Masud said, “It is absolutely the government's job. The private sector does not do it in any country. We must make sure that we have government-sponsored guides.”
He said he has dealt with some 35,000 foreign tourists so far but he does not have any government-approved guide. “We have some 22 tourist guides and they follow our own manual”, he added.
The TOAB director stressed the need for having other guides like archaeological guides, nature guides, marine guides and beach and island guides.
Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) CEO Akhtaruz Zaman Khan Kabir also emphasised the importance of having qualified tourist guides to promote tourism.
“We'll work on it and our activity plan has already included it," the CEO said, adding that they need resources and a master plan of international standard to work as per the plan.
He said Dhaka University is going to introduce a long tourist guide course and BTB can go for a partnership with DU, if the university wants.
Chairperson of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management of Dhaka University Dr Mojib Uddin Ahamed said, “We cannot imagine tourism sector without tourist guides.”
For the first time in Bangladesh, the department is going to introduce “Campus Tourism” in collaboration with Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC) to attract and inform foreign tourists about the scenic beauty of the campus and also the historical and cultural significance of the monuments and establishments within the vast university area, said an official.
Tour guides must have thorough knowledge about the cities, regions and countries where they work, said the insiders, adding that qualified tourist guides can provide relevant and proper heritage information to tourists in a friendly and entertaining manner.
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