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THE Raja Ampat district administration has made steady efforts to raise the standard and quality of its human resources engaged in tourism, specifically local tourist guides.
According to Yusuf Salim, secretary of the district government said tourist guides were spearheads of the tourism industry in Raja Ampat owing to their one-on-one interactions with domestic and foreign tourists arriving in the district.
“That is to say, tourist guides are the local envoys, who personally represent the Raja Ampat district administration by offering the best possible services to tourists. To this end, varied training programs should be imparted to tour guides to broaden their horizon and deepen their knowledge to enable them to offer best services to tourists,” Salim said.
He noted that Raja Ampat would always be imprinted in the minds of tourists worldwide if its tourist guides were to serve them exceptionally. Hence, the district administration has always praised and supported efforts to improve the competencies of local tourist guides.
“This is since in addition to tourism-related infrastructure development, human resources should also be developed in stages. Thus, the tourism sector will be able to offer optimal benefits to the local community by boosting economic growth and improving their welfare,” he stated.
Salim pointed out thet the Raja Ampat district authorities held a training for dive guides under the efforts to offer better services to tourists visiting the marine tourism destination.
Salim stated that 30 local dive guides were taking part in the week-long training, held from June 24. The training is also expected to boost the capabilities of local dive guides. Raja Ampat District has some 1,700 islands in total, including the unoccupied and most scenic Isle of Wayag, which is made of karst or limestone from other isles. The district has a geopark whose beauty transcends that of the one in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
In 2012, Raja Ampat was included on the Real Wonder of the World list. It has gained recognition for being one of the world’s 10 most scenic diving sites and received top rating for its rich marine floral and fauna diversity. [antaranews/photo special]
