NAIROBI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's tourism marketers said Thursday it has kicked off a training of tour guides to help enhance visitor experience among travelers into the country.
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) said the training was aimed at equipping the participants with destination knowledge, customer experience skills and image building as part of destination assurances of readiness for business.
"Tour driver guides have a key role in the tourism service chain. They play the role of destination brand ambassadors through their interactions with visitors," KTB CEO Betty Radier said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
Radier said that tour guides have a lot of influence on how visitors view and experience the destination, noting that the information they share with their clients can either build or destroy perceptions about the destination.
The 40 tour driver guides were also taken through the implementation of tourism and travel safety protocols to mitigate against COVID-19 pandemic.
The east African nation's tourism sector has slumped to its lowest level in decades following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, as restrictions which were put in place locally and internationally curtailed travel.
The sector has lost more than 82 billion shillings (about 760 million U.S. dollars) since March, according to tourism ministry which is about 50 percent of its average annual revenue.
Radier said that tour guide drivers play an integral role in the tourism ecosystem being the first point of interaction with visitors upon them arriving into the country.
She said that the training will go a long way in equipping them with destination information and skills to better handle the visitors.
The KTB official added that with destinations currently looking to bounce back from the effects of the coronavirus crisis, tour guides will be critical in ensuring that tourists arriving into the country have a memorable experience that will persuade them to visit again and even pull others to the destination. Enditem
