Tour guides must know Sabah’s offerings’

KOTA KINABALU: Local licensed tour guides should update themselves on the existing and latest products in Sabah in order to woo more visitors to the state.

Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman Tengku Zainal Adlin Mahmood said tour guides not only needed to know the state’s history, but also have knowledge on its abundant tourism products, including eco-tourism packages.

“Sabah is a very rich state with its biodiversity of natural rainforest and abundance of endemic species of flora and fauna. Therefore, tour guides play a vital role in the industry as they must be able to attract domestic and foreign visitors here,” he said in a statement.

Zainal also said it was important for tour guides to learn foreign languages, following an increase in the number of tourists from China, Hong Kong and Korea.

He added that STB was willing to help local tour guides on this matter by organising talks every two months to help them better their skills and knowledge in the profession.

Last month, Zainal launched the Sabah Native Registered Tourist Guides Association here, which is affiliated with the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council. It aims to address and attend to the needs, problems and interests of licensed tour guides that are related to the field.

Association president Dabalun Balau welcomed all local tour guides in the state to register with it. He said the association would conduct continuous tourism-related activities that were required for all tour guides who wanted to renew their licence.

Dabalun also reminded tour guides to take care of their dressing and manners when working with tourists.

“It is imperative for them to practise professionalism at all times so that the profession will be respected and the state’s image not to be affected.”

Source: New Straits Times