Tourist guides of Kyrgyzstan are certified by the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations
From October 17 to October 30, 2022 in the city of Karakol, a trainers from World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA) up-skilled tour guides of Kyrgyzstan according to the international standards of the WFTGA. 25 practicing guides from all over Kyrgyzstan were trained, followed by WFTGA certification and obtaining the status of "Trainer Guide".
The training was divided into two stages: a preparatory course for cultural guides and a training for trainers, which included both a theoretical course and practical exercises on conducting excursions in Karakol City. Participants were able to improve their presentation skills, interpretation of tourist sites and management of a tourist group. International trainers taught participants the basic skills and techniques for walking, bus and museum tours.
“A huge plus of this training is the emphasis on practice, and as a guide, I consider this approach to be the most correct and effective. A well-thought-out, rich program, a combination of theory and practice, allowed me to immerse myself in the learning process with great pleasure. Comparing our past tour experience and WFTGA standards, we saw how we can improve our tours,” said Aidar Akbashev, a guide from Karakol.
The characteristic of this training is that it was developed and conducted by professional active tourist guides, who are certified WFTGA trainers.
The trainers themselves, Gennadiy Chudnovets and Mahsa Motahar, are actively working tourist guides, who not only delivered the curriculum, but add their vast experiences to facilitate useful and relevant discussions and peer learning.
Participants left the course not only with a ready toolkit to use, but with a better awareness of the tourist guide profession and the sense of being part of the WFTGA family – the global forum for professional tourist guides.
The training was facilitated by the WTK project funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by Helvetas Kyrgyzstan, Destination Karakol and GIZ Kyrgyzstan Green Economy and Sustainable Private Development Project.
