May 2020 – Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers

May 28, 2020June 10, 2020

Insurance Scheme for Tourist Guides

Industrial Exports and Investment Promotion, Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga directed Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) Chairperson Kimarli Fernando to take measures to introduce a new insurance scheme for tourist guides in Sri Lanka.

The top tier of tourist guides representing several Tourist Guide Associations in Sri Lanka urged the Minister Ranatunga to introduce a proper insurance scheme for them to ensure their job security during a recent meeting.

They said the lack of job security due to an absence of an insurance scheme and EPF/ ETF benefits, has affected them vastly. They said that three tourist guides in Sri Lanka were infected with COVID 19 and one person among them had already died.

There are nearly 5000 Tourist Guides across the country registered with the SLTDA. The representatives also request the Minister to introduce a concessionary loan scheme for them. They said that their organisations had written to the Tourism Development Authority requesting that the minimum daily wage be increased to $ US 35. Minister said that the SLTDA has already paid its attention to these requests.

The representatives said unlicensed tourist guides are a big issue and they are often involved in unethical practices including overcharging tourists. The Minister said that action will be taken to prevent these types of unlawful acts in the future and a mechanism will created to regulate tourist guides, chauffeur guides and drivers in the future.

(Source: http://www.dailynews.lk/2020/05/24/local/219266/insurance-scheme-tourist-guides)

May 28, 2020June 10, 2020

Tourism Chief to Go Ahead Despite SLAITO Objections

Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) will review increasing the daily fee of chauffer guides and site guides to USD 35, Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson Kimarli Fernando said.

“The current discussion (of USD 35 increment) is for national guides. The Board is in discussion with all the guides now,” Fernando said adding that the proposal is still under discussion.

Registered tour guides now receive a minimum fee of Rs.2,500 per day. If the proposed increment is approved by the Tourist Board the daily fee of national guides (later chauffeur and site guides) will increase to about Rs. 6,500 from April 30, 2021. For many years, national guides, chauffeur guides, area guides and site guides were in limbo when their pleas for a fee increment was not regarded by the stakeholders concerned.

(Read more.)

May 28, 2020June 10, 2020

For a few dollars more…….

The background to the recent turbulence in the SLAITO as a response to a request made by the Chairperson of the SLTDA needs to be clarified. (the FT statement of the President of SLAITO)

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) is the regulatory body that undertakes training, handles the issue/renewal of licences, sets out standards and regulates fees and tariffs for the National Tourist Guide Lecturers (NTGLs). In simpler terms all official matters pertaining to the NTGLs come under their tutelage. One such important factor under their preview is to regulate and fix a standard fee that should be paid for the NTGLs for their services periodically. This is usually done upon a request made by the Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers (SLINTGL) – the official body for the NTGLs – to the SLTDA. It is then passed on to the SLAITO with the recommendation of the SLTDA. The final outcome of the minimum fee for a given period is mutually agreed upon by the SLTDA, SLAITO and SLINTGL.

The current mutually agreed minimum fee, which is Rs. 2,500/-, came into effect in 2017. This was a mere Rs.300/- increment from the previous. Some of the more realistic DMCs, on their own or upon request of the NTGLs, have increased the min. wage per day to Rs.3,000 – 5,000. In some markets and for specialised tours the fees could even exceed this. The need for a realistic and reasonable increase was long overdue.

Therefore, we requested a $50/day minimum fee. This was officially brought to the notice of the SLTDA along with certain other detrimental issues to tourism, i.e. unlicensed, provincial and site guides being employed by unscrupulous DMCs, mainly in Chinese market; guides not being provided with proper accommodation in some hotels; difficulties in licence renewals etc. These were discussed and submissions were made verbally and in writing long before COVID-19 came into being. Since there was no positive response from the authorities, the general membership planned a protest, which was stalled at the request of the chairperson of the SLTDA on the promise that reasonable action would be initiated to address the issues.

There is no doubt that the current situation will have major economic and social setbacks worldwide. These will be extremely adverse effects on tourism especially. But to avoid and ignore the issues of the pre-COVID-19 period and to take cover behind it is not acceptable and would be deemed unreasonable.