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The Sarawak Tourist Guides Association (SKTGA) is excited to host the inaugural ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference from October 24–26, 2024, at the Imperial Hotel in Kuching, Sarawak. This conference, themed “Togetherness in Tour Guiding Excellence,” aims to foster collaboration to enhance travel experiences and strengthen the future of the tour guide community across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
A pressing challenge for the tour-guiding sector is the availability of online travel services, which allow travelers to organize trips independently, often bypassing traditional tour guides due to more cost-effective options available on the internet.
A primary focus of the conference will be exploring how tour guides can adapt and thrive in the digital era, positively impacting the regional tour guiding scene. The event also supports the Sarawak government’s tourism goals as outlined in the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy.
“Tourism is part of the services industry, which accounted for 37% of Sarawak’s gross domestic product in 2023. We collected RM9.99 billion in tourism receipts last year, which was a growth of 101.41%. Despite excellent statistics, we must prioritise the protection and promotion of tour guides, and educate the invaluable contributions and unique experiences they offer,” said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak. “Tour guides are storytellers — they have historical and cultural information about the destination, offer personalised experiences and bridge language barriers and cultural gaps. Most of all, they ensure safety and security. Technology and independence cannot offer this level of travel experience and human interaction and it is important to keep it alive.”
“As travel services digitalise, certain aspects of the travel and tour industry are declining. It is a wake-up call that tour guides must grow with technology, emphasise the strengths of the tour-guiding community and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we remain thriving in the face of technology and changing consumer choices,” said Edwin Lim, Honorary Chairman of SKTGA. “Other challenges that we face as tour guides include sustaining during off-peak seasons and how to support younger guides into the career. By gathering key players at the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference, we hope to unite as a global community and transform the tourism landscape.”
“When associations face challenges like these, it makes legacy impact significant to drive solutions. Hosting the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference is about turning challenges into opportunities and making a positive impact on a community that is trying to sustain the industry and promote its expertise for a transformation in Sarawak’s tourism landscape,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak. “An impact mindset is essential in transforming the tourist guiding industry and business events will be the platform for STGA’s aspired change.”
Marking ASEAN’s first tourist guide conference, the event targets 400 delegates and anticipates generating a total economic impact of RM3.3 million.
Support for the conference comes from several prestigious bodies, including the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak), the Malaysian Tourist Guide Council, the Sarawak Tourism Board, and the Sarawak Tourism Federation.
Registration fees are set at RM380/USD 90 for tourist guides and RM500/USD 115 for non-guides and the general public. The fees cover entrance for both days of the conference, meals including lunch and dinner, a familiarisation tour, 4 Continuous Tourism Related Education (CTRE) points for Malaysian licensed tour guides, and a Certificate of Attendance.
The post Sarawak Tourism Gears Up for Major Economic Boost with ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference appeared first on Travel And Tour World.
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