The demand for qualified guides increases with tourism growth

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

The recent growth in tourist arrival in Brunei has created major demand in terms of quality tour guides who are well-informed and capable to depict the “right image” of Brunei, as informed by a senior tourism official.

 
At present, Brunei has almost 127 licensed tourist guides, out of which, 59 work as freelancers. Majority of the tourist guides work with the 54 licensed travel agents in the country.

 
Wardi Hj Mohammad Ali, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT), explained that there is no set target in terms of the number of tour guides to be trained, as the its dependant on industry growth. The recent development, nevertheless, gives a chance for those looking for employment in the tourism industry.

 
“At the moment, we need not only Malay and English speaking tour guides but also guides who are able to speak Chinese [languages] to meet our growing market from China,” he said.

 
In 2018, Brunei is aiming 278,000 tourist arrivals which are expected to bring in over $140 million tourism dollars.

 
As per the recent figures published by the Tourism Development Department as of November 2017, a total of 238,150 tourists visited Brunei welcoming $77 million, in comparison to 218,809 visitors the year before.

 
In 2017, visitors from Malaysia, China and the Philippines represented the top three visitor sources.

 
Yesterday the deputy permanent secretary was speaking at a certificate presentation ceremony to 13 individuals who have finished the Tourist Guide Basic Course and the Tourist Guide Bridging Course.

 
Aspirant tour guides should complete the 21-day Tourist Guide Basic Course that would allow them to apply for a Tourist Guide Licence, as outlined under current legislation.

 
Laksamana College of Business (LCB) facilitates both the courses in collaboration with the Tourism Development Department. The trainers are accredited by World Federation of Tourist Guides Association.

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