slamabad: Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) in collaboration with the Department of Tourist Services (DTS), Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP), College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM), Pakistan Association of Tour Operators (PATO) and Legend Hotels has organized a First National Tour Guide Training Program in Islamabad from March 18, 2023, to March 31, 2023.
The aim of this training workshop was to improve the knowledge and skills of tour guides about tourist destinations, tour group management, communication skills, and professionally handling all the aspects of tours reflecting high standards of tour guiding, customer service, and operational best practices.
24 trainees from different parts of Pakistan participated in the two weeks training program which was conducted by international and national trainers and experts in the tourism industry. Certificates were distributed among the trainees at the successful conclusion of the first National Tour Guide Training program today on March 31, 2023, in Islamabad.
Speaking at this occasion, Aftab ur Rehman Rana, Managing Director PTDC congratulated all the participants on completing this training program and thanked all the trainers who shared their valuable time to conduct this training program. He said that there is a serious shortage of trained tour guides in Pakistan. To fill this gap, PTDC has launched a National Tour Guides Training Program. Through this training initiative, 1000 tour guides from all over Pakistan will be trained in one year. Under this initiative, PTDC will organize a series of tour guides training workshops in all the provincial capitals in collaboration with provincial tourism departments and the private sector. He further said that this will provide an opportunity for our youth to learn the useful skill of tour guiding and get job opportunities in the field of tour operation in Pakistan. On this occasion, participants and trainers also shared their views about the training program and highly appreciated the efforts of PTDC and partner organizations for taking this important step.
