Study programme for tourism sector service providers
The Western Province Tourist Board (WPTB) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority recently announced the implementation of a study course for tourism sector service providers, with a view to enhancing professional skills in the sector.
Through the new programme, service providers, including vendors, taxi drivers, three-wheel drivers, boatmen and area guides will be required to register themselves with the WPTB to follow the training programme at the Tourist Board.
Course material will largely be designed around training to standardize quality, whilst creating an understanding of the different cultural backgrounds and preferences of tourists.
“Once these service providers are trained, they can then be classified under the formal sector. So once registered, they can be moni- tored and disciplined. We will issue a sticker of authorization with individual registration numbers, so any complaint can also be entertained,” WPTB Chairman Claude Thomasz said.
“An identification card will also be issued after a written test, and through this we can streamline the informal sector. At present, there have been no legal agreements on the programme. However, they are currently being drafted, and we are sure that this initiative will end up strengthening the tourism sector in the Western Province,” he added.
At present, the training programme has already been initiated for taxi and three wheel drivers in the province.
Thomasz estimated the cost of training per head at approximately Rs 7000. However, he added that the WPTB will be subsidizing the cost of training by 50%, meaning that drivers would have to pay Rs 3500 for the course, in addition to other payments to respective associations.
Drivers seeking to enroll in the training course will be required to either provide a letter of recommendation from their association, specifying how long they have been engaged in such employment whilst new drivers will be allowed to enroll if they can provide a letter of recommendation from a hotel.
“Through this course, we hope to train at least 60-70% of service providers and they will then be given authorization to operate within tourist zones as the standard gradually builds. We must stress however that no requests will be entertained under political pressure.” Thomasz said.
He further stated that a tourism magazine as well as a tourism website for the Western province would also be launched in the near future in order to supplement the WPTB’s current initiatives.