COIMBATORE: Guides enhance the experience of tourists by providing enriching information as they accompany visitors on tours. Keeping this in mind, the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department, in collaboration with the Coimbatore district administration, will appoint registered tourist guides.
The Department maintains a list of government-approved tourist guides to ensure standardised and quality services for visitors. This service is currently available only in select locations such as Madurai, Mahabalipuram, Thanjavur, and Kanyakumari, which are known for their heritage attractions.
T Jagathiswari, the District Tourist Officer of Coimbatore, said, "As the tourism industry in Coimbatore is emerging, we are trying to introduce registered guides in the district while the renewal of guides continues in other areas, wherever the service is already available."
There are various types of guides appointed by the tourism department, including destination guides for local trips, regional guides for state-level tours approved by the government, and language guides who often collaborate with foreign travel agencies, primarily based in Bangalore and Chennai. "In Coimbatore, we are planning to appoint registered destination guides," she added.
Jagathiswari also mentioned that they are conducting multiple training programmes for stakeholders in the tourism sector, in collaboration with the Coimbatore district administration and the SKAL International Coimbatore, which is an association of travel and tourism professionals.
"To develop tourism activities, we must invest in improving services related to travel, hospitality, housekeeping, and the hotel industry in a professional manner. We are conducting training programmes for stakeholders, including cab drivers, adventure tourism operators, and hoteliers. We plan to involve operators of farmstays and homestays from Pollachi, Nilgiris, and Valparai. These programmes are being organised through the District Tourism Development Committee by the district administration," Jagathiswari added.