The Directorate of Tourism (DoT), Maharashtra has announced plans to train tribal youth as tourist guides in the state as part of empowering tribal youngsters to take up jobs in the tourism sector. The government will also give free training to them. The programme is all set to launch in Raigad district of Maharashtra along with the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM). It is an autonomous body under the Ministry for Tourism, India.
As per program, 31 tribal youth from Karnala Sanctuary and Phansad Sanctuary will be selected for the training. It is a ‘Special 5-day Guide Training Programme’ where after five days, certificates will be awarded to the youth. This is for the first time that the DoT Maharashtra is conducting such a guide training programme for youth belonging from tribal backgrounds.
The training will begin on August 2 and last on August 6 and youths will be given both theoretical and practical training. They will be taught about the roles and responsibilities of tour guides, best practices, concept of biodiversity, nature trail, how to conduct walking tours, handling difficult situations, among others.
The State Minister of Maharashtra for Tourism and Guardian Minister of Raigad, Aditi Tatkare, said, “This initiative by DoT for the unemployed youth of tribal areas will definitely prove to be helpful for them. This training programme will further be useful in spreading the glory of our state, as an excellent tourism guide, in different corners of the world. With the help of this programme, high quality tourist guides related to respective destinations in the State, will be ready.”
He further said that there’s a lot of scope for tourism in Maharashtra and that with this there is a demand for trained guides in places with diverse tourist destinations. She also said that every tourist needs a good guide to make their visit unforgettable.
