Summary of Tourist Guides Workshop

On the 24th of August the KZN Department of Economic Development and Tourism in collaboration with the National Department of Tourism held a Tourists Guides Workshop in Hluhluwe, and from FGASA we were attending. The post below briefly summarises the outcome of the workshop. As it was a workshop, it was not a straightforward presentation of facts which could simply be mentioned below, but it was rather an interactive process in which attending tourist guides could put their opinion forward. 


First of all it was good to hear that behind the scenes, many steps have been taken by the National Department of Tourism (NDT) to update and progress on the tourist guide act and the professionalisation of the tourism sector. Compliance and importance of registration by Department of Economic Development &Tourism (DEDT) is now also going to be checked more regularly by means of spot checks to combat 'illegal guiding'. People to be found guiding illegally can be fined 1000 rand and the company they are guiding for 10.000 rand on top of that. They have also proposed/initiated a change in the 'badge', to give experienced guides recognition for their years of experience. For this purpose they propose that guides get a green badge if they have been guiding less than 5 years, a bronze badge for guides operating for 6-9 years, a silver badge for 10-12 years of guiding and after 12 years guides would get a gold badge. Guides would be able to get recognition of prior learning/experience for this, so it makes sense to fill in your FGASA Logbooks and ask your clients to sign you off after each game drive or tour. Such a logbook would be deemed 'proof of experience'.

Another interesting point of discussion was the definition of 'site guide', 'regional guide', 'provincial guide' and 'national guide'. As FGASA guides, or any nature site guide trained and assessed by another THETA/CATHSSETA accredited training provider, we are 'site guides' and legally can only operate in  one 'site', for example Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and surrounding game reserves. The reality is however that many guides are trained/assessed in other 'sites' than the 'site' they end up working in. At the moment this is a grey area, but it was suggested at the workshop that assessors and training providers should be able to specify more than one site if they feel that the learner is competent. E.g.: learners that do a one month course in Mkhuze game reserve should only be allowed to guide in that particular park. Learners that do a longer course, lets say 6 months and that are trained in Mkhuze as well as Tembe, Ndumo, Kosi Bay, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, St. Lucia etc. should be allowed to guide in all these parks. Currently they do only one assessment, and get only one 'site' to be allowed to guide in. The Department of Tourism would take these points into account while discussing and drafting the new legislation.

As discussed in a previous post on this site, THETA has changed it name to CATHSSETA, to include arts and culture.

Guides must now no longer register with Tourism KZN (TKZN), but with the KZN Department of Economic Development & Tourism. (See: http://fgasakznnorth.blogspot.com/2011/05/kzn-north-important-news-for-all-guides.html)

These were the most important things covered for us guides. I would recommend anyone to participate in any next one of such workshops, as they are very relevant to all of us. Dates of such events will be posted on this site, so make sure you subscribe on the right of this page.