Tour guide federation to conduct first Pacific course in East New Britian

National

THE WORLD Tour Guide Federation will be conducting courses in East New Britain.
Master trainer Steve McAuley will be running tour guiding courses in Rabaul and Kokopo in a private arrangement funded by Rabaul Discovery and Eco-Tourism Tours Limited which runs cruise ship tours in East New Britain.
McAuley said this was the first time the world federation has done a course in the South Pacific.
“It is very special for us to come here and it shows an amazing amount of foresight because you are planning ahead. Tourism is going to get bigger and you are going to be ready for it,” McAuley said.
The World Tour Guide Federation is an international organisation based in Europe and is affiliated with organisations such as United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
Master trainers like McAuley travel all over Europe delivering training products that include training for master trainers. World Tour Guide Federation also consults on designing tour packages and a host of other tourism matters.
In a statement, chairman of Rabaul Discovery and Eco-Tourism Tours Limited, Douglas Pidi, said they have invested heavily in capacity building. “To have a professional association such as the World Tour Guide Federation come and run training for us is a step in the right direction,” Pidi said.
“In tourism we are competing against the world and against some of the more developed destinations like Fiji and Bali and the key is delivering the products properly. If we can deliver our tour products properly the tourists will continue to come.” Ten participants will be attending the sessions which will include workshop sessions, presentations and an examination which they must pass. Certification will not be done without a pass as the federation standards are very high.
With support from the World Tour Guide Federation, ENB tour guides have formed an association also which will look after the interests of local guides and site owners.