The Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) will launch a programme to rank Vietnamese tour guides, with financial assistance from the European Union (EU), the association announced on October 4.
Tourists in the Mekong Delta of Tien Giang (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)– The Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) will launch a programme to rankVietnamese tour guides, with financial assistance from the European Union (EU), the associationannounced on October 4.
This is the first timeVietnam has implemented such programme, which aims to encourage tour guides toimprove their performance to better meet travelers’ demand.
From early October tothe end of this year, VTA’s Association of Vietnamese Tour Guides will conductranking activities in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Quang Ninh as well as otherlocalities such as Khanh Hoa and Lao Cai.
The ranking will bebased on three major criteria of capacity, knowledge and skills, and aims tocreate favourable conditions for travel firms to sign contracts and payadequate wages to tour guides.
It is expected to helpenhance the quality of Vietnamese tourism, especially tour guides who will beclassified into three levels from three-star to five-star.
Vu The Binh, VTA VicePresident, said that initially, the programme will be applied for members ofthe Association of Vietnamese Tour Guides across the nation. After the completionof criteria and regulations, it will be expanded to all tour guides in the countrieswho wish to join the programme, he added.
So far, Vietnam has23,055 certified tour guides, including 14,428 international, 8,412 domesticand 215 working at certain sites.
However, only 5percent of the total are working under contracts with travel firms and paidwith salary and social insurance premium by the companies, while the rest havenot joined social insurance.
On the occasion, Binhalso revealed that the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2019 will bethemed “Green Tourism” with an aim to engage in the implement the sustainabledevelopment goals for 2030.-VNA
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Tourists in the Mekong Delta of Tien Giang (Photo: VNA) 
