Tourism sector aims higher with skills training

Transporting tourists to the various tourists spots like national parks, has for long been the core work of tour guides in the country, or at least that is what most of them thought was their work.However, Rica Rwigamba, the head of Tourism and Conservation at Rwanda Development Board, says that a professional tour guide, must not only be in position to avail the necessary transportation for the tourists, but should be able to give relevant explanations to tourists during a tour. “It is not just a matter of being a transporter and you call yourself a tour guide. One must have the knowledge to educate tourists about the tourist attractions in the country, as this will enable them to visit again and also bring others,” Rwigamba says.She adds that the industry needs to be developed; the reason government in partnership with the Private Sector Federation is engaging tour guides in various trainings to ensure that they can professionally serve the interests of those they guide.Omar Gasigwa is a tour guide and member of Amahoro tours based in Musanze district. He concedes that in the past it was about transportation, but things have greatly improved through various measures including trainings. He is one of the tour guides who recently completed a three weeks’ training organized by RTTA with support from development partners including United States Agency for International Development.The training was specifically aimed at building capacity of the guides about birds especially those in the region.“Although we have our association, we have also been put under one umbrella which is Rwanda Tours and Travel Association (RTTA) through which our activities including trainings are organized. “At first, we thought our responsibility was to transport tourists either to Nyungwe forest or any other place they wanted, but because of the trainings we have been undergoing, we are no longer operating with that mentality,” he says. Five years in the industry, Gasigwa says that he has learnt many things that include speaking English; something he says has helped simplify his day-to-day activities.“I used to just look at these birds in the sky, but right now, I can identify and classify them according to their families or species,” he says.The Chairman of RTTA Manzi Kayihura says that focus will now be put on the ways or measures to enable the implementation of what the guides learn. “We have been advancing slowly and with support from other development partners, our members will carry on to make sure that the industry works professionally,” he says.