Educate resource owners, says trainer

A local tourism trainer says it is important to educate resource owners and villagers of tourism sites so they understand how the industry operates.
Erigere Singin of ES Competitive Training said resource owners needed information.
“We can talk about business and the hundreds of visitors arriving, but where are they going and why?” she said.
“The locals don’t really know.”
Singin said the public needed to know and clearly understand benefits of the tourism industry.
“Tourists are coming in for bird watching, diving, trekking and cultural shows,” she said.
“One thing that is missing is educating the locals: The resource owners. The tourists are intruders but they are economically beneficial for the local community.
“The way up is to get down to the village level.
“That’s the gap that needs to be filled.”
Singin, a former staffer of the Tourism Promotion Authority, is now engaged as a tourism trainer, working with women from Kairuku-Hiri and Rigo.
She is looking to expand to other provinces in educating local people.