Location: Hanoi
Duration: 2012 – 2013
Organisers & Donor: RTC Vietnam
Participant: Shortlisted experience tour guides from RTC official members
Background
Understanding that actions for responsible travel need efforts from all stakeholders, including tour operators and tour guides, RTC has stood up to organise a casual meet-up for RTC’s tour operators and their tour guides to work out the chain of those two parties.
RTC wanted to understand the drives of the issue and finalised them based on 4 criterias: Unstable income, Lack of respect from Tour Operators to their job as tour guide, attrative commission and the right of receiving commission under some circumstances, lack of reliable resources to know-how and lack of proper training classes for them to attend and improve their knowledge as they would be willing to take if there is any.
Also, it’s a matter of fact that tourism products are developing stronger than ever; which requires comprehensive knowledge penetrating in order to lead an informative tours. RTC thrives to be a networking platform for tour guides to learn and share not only skills but also knowledge of particular subjects/products in tourism.
Objectives
- To create a platform for tour guides to be connected frequently to get updated on the news in tourism and to be shared and discussed problems and circumstances came across during touring;
- To give the tour guide group responsible travel orientation and training;
- To network them with young tour guide graduates to train the new generation in tour guiding job;
Outcome
- List of 30 verified tour guides to be used internally among RTC official members;
- 2-3 networking events per year;
- Started off gathering young tour guide graduates program for a short-term tour guiding skills;