CHENNAI: February 2020 marked the last trip for Shyamala Mahadevan as a tour guide. Just when she had returned from a week-long trip to Madurai and signed up for another tour to Kerala in mid-March, the coronavirus outbreak threw the planet off-kilter. Like most industries, tourism too was brought to its knees, impacting the livelihoods of many like Shyamala, who were forced to return the advance payments to tour operators and stay home with no income.
With travel dreams of tourists dashed, Shyamala and her fellow regional tourist guides, appointed by the Ministry of Tourism, became the casualties of this sudden downturn. While the Kerala government came out with a relief amount of Rs10,000 to 328 licensed tourist guides in the state, a similar plea for monetary assistance from the state or central government from fellow guides in other regions went unheard.
Loss of job opportunities and disruption in the steady flow of income forced many to look for alternative avenues of survival. “Rules stipulate that licensed guides cannot take up any other job while being a guide. But, such compelling circumstances left us with no choice. While some of us have been attending crash courses to hone our skills, a few have gone back to their family businesses,” shares Shyamala, who’s taken to learning Italian.
One too many diversions
In a largely unorganised sector that involves other players like travel agents, tour guides, destination vendors and eateries, it’s the government licence that sets the regional tour guides apart from the untrained and unlicensed local guides. They are allowed to undertake tours in Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Andaman and Kerala, facilitated through tour operators. But, it’s not as lucrative as it seems. P Asoka, president, Approved Tour Guides’ Association, Chennai, says that despite the long, rigorous training one undergoes to become a government-licensed tour guide, the job seldom offers benefits.
“To get the licence, one needs to complete the guide training course offered by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management in Nellore. This is one of the toughest courses and involves multiple levels of scrutiny — interviews, written tests, group discussions and practical application. You need to shell out money for boarding and college fee, and there’s no guarantee of a job afterwards. It takes a long time to make a market for yourself. The business is also seasonal, mostly from August to April. The rest of the months we up-skill ourselves through workshops and conferences,” he explains.
While a college degree has been the basic requirement to apply for this course, the Incredible India Tourist Facilitators Certification Programme by the Ministry of Tourism in March 2020 came as a blow to existing tour guides. “The programme aims to generate employment and give a boost to the tourism industry but what’s shocking is that the basic educational requirement is only a class 10 or 12. Anybody can take the course, acquire the certificate and become a guide. Where’s the credibility and authenticity? Their idea was to train one lakh facilitators country-wide but only about 2,000 appeared for the exam held this February. What’s the point in giving a certification when the job prospects are bleak?” he rues.
The repercussions of the promised programme can turn out to be disastrous for existing guides by stealing them of their opportunities, he points out. “The travel body that engages us pays the fee mutually agreed upon by the Indian Association of Tour Operators and the Tourist Guides’ Federation of India. Terms and conditions and wages for tour guides are revised every two years. We also have to renew our licence every three years after attending a ten-day course. Despite doing all this, sometimes, to cut corners, tour operators look for non-licensed or less-experienced guides. With the above-mentioned scheme, this is highly likely,” he notes.
And, for those who’ve stood the test of time, a new set of challenges and expectations await on the other end. Dr Suresh Sethuraman, Tamil Nadu state convener, INTACH, and authorised tour guide at American National Trust Monuments, Virginia, USA, is worried about the overwhelming pressure from all quarters that the guides will be reeling under. “Digitisation is the biggest enemy. You need to be one step ahead of the Internet. Information, which was once luxury, is now available at fingertips. Though domestic tourism is picking up, many would opt for self-guided tours to ensure safety and also cut costs. There are plenty of virtual tours offered by museums and palaces; and audio tours that may have been projected to be self-sufficient. Having said this, there’s no replacement for a physical guide provided one is willing to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances,” he says.
Travel tales
It’s the assurance of offering an enriching one-on-one experience that keeps many guides afloat. Nirmala, who’s been in the business for 35 years, recollects a few pleasant instances of her foreign clients checking on her during the lockdown. “The tourists never forget you. While the job of a tour guide may look glamorous from the outside, it entails great responsibility right from when you pick the tourists to the time they return to their homes. You build a beautiful bond in two to three weeks. You can achieve this only when you earn their trust and provide them with what’s beyond a Google search. I’m proud to share that this is perhaps the only job where there’s no gender difference in terms of pay or treatment you receive. Female guides feel safe and protected,” she details.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Asoka shares, “I have a group from Germany that I have accompanied 14 out of the 17 times they visited the country. The job transforms your personality when you gel with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It’s also heartening to see the change in how people perceive this job over the years. It was once considered a stigma because of uncertain income and men wouldn’t get brides. But, we’ve all proved that this too can be a sustainable profession.”
Scale, scope and survival
The job demands tour guides to stick to safety protocols, practise sustainable tourism and meet the expectations of tourists in the changing world. After all, they are the ambassadors of their city and the country. “Tour guides are responsible citizens. We are the face of the country and there’s pressure on us to paint a positive picture. The foreign tourists are mindful and environment-friendly. They go the extra mile to educate locals on hygiene, climate change and the importance of having a clean neighbourhood. Tour guides also have active social media platforms to stay abreast with the latest trends and development in the industry,” shares Dr Suresh.
Regardless of the evolving business dynamics, there’s no distinction in prerequisites to become a tour guide, it seems. “Patience, mastery over multiple languages (at least one or two foreign languages), command over communication, storytelling... are a few basic skills. If you do not have the passion, then you can never succeed in this field — no matter how hard you try. Stay up-to-date, do not compromise on the quality of information and give what they’re looking for. It takes perseverance to shine,” advises Asoka.
The long road to recovery
The perpetual existence of pros and cons plaguing the industry is perhaps the reason that the future looks bleak to potential guides. Adding to the turmoil, the decline in opportunities in the past year has forced many talented ones out of the job. Venkatesh, a young tour guide with five years of experience, from Chennai, says that having a back-up is the best way forward. “My interest in history drove me to take this up as a career. I topped the exam and got my licence after declining corporate jobs. The pandemic has forced us to juggle other jobs and if you don’t have a plan B, you cannot survive. Freshers are dependent on tour operators for assignments, unlike the veterans. Considering the situation, I’m sure that not many are going to pursue a career in this for at least another few years until things bounce back to normalcy,” he offers.
Highlighting the prospects for the tourism industry, Dr Suresh suggests, “The country has so much to offer in art and architecture and that’s where we need to tap our potential efficiently. Western countries may be able to offer better beach tourism with technology and infrastructure but they can’t compete with us in this area. We need to package, advertise and market well. Then, we can be the world’s biggest leaders in the tourism industry. We need a host of other stakeholders to co-operate for that because we have the resources to do better.” From war, natural calamities to the recession, and now, the pandemic, the global tourism industry has seen it all. This too shall pass.
Having an alternative plan
Venkatesh, a young tour guide with five years of experience, from Chennai, says that having a back-up is the best way forward. “My interest in history drove me to take this up as a career. The pandemic has forced us to juggle other jobs and if you don’t have a plan B, you cannot survive.”