Malaysian women tourist guides set to welcome foreign visitors

GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysian Women Tourist Guide Association (MWTGA) is set to provide their best services to foreign visitors with the opening of the country's borders which is expected to fully reopen in the second quarter of this year.

MWTGA chairman Erina Loo said currently about 500 of its members have made various preparations such as renewing their license so that foreign tourists could use their services while on holiday in Malaysia.

"Based on the information provided by travel agencies from abroad, tourists, especially from Europe, are waiting for the right time to travel to Malaysia.

"Even during the pandemic, travel agencies from Europe did not cancel their bookings, they (tourists) were just waiting to come and travel here again," she told reporters after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MWTGA and Penang Sentral College.

The Malaysian government is expected to fully open the country's borders after completing the guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

On the MoU, Erina said the collaboration with Penang Sentral College would enhance the skills and knowledge of tourist guides in conveying information on tourism products to tourists, adding that foreign tourists especially those from Europe prefer tourist guides that can give them the best guide on the history and culture of a location that they are visiting.

"The MoU signed today is expected to give us more knowledge in the field of tourism," she added.

The college was represented by its principal and chief executive officer Dr Chiang Geok Lian and witnessed by Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin.

Meanwhile, Chiang said Penang College Sentral would provide training related to communications, general knowledge, history and many more so that they (tourist guides) have various skills and knowledge.

"The MoU aims to generate more opportunities to develop and enrich training programmes related to tourism and serves as a benchmark of best practices in the tourism industry involving tourist guides," he added.

-- BERNAMA