A delegation of top ranking officials of SLINTGL had a fruitful discussion with the SLTDA Chairperson on 27th December 2019. Main topic of discussion was our position on unauthorized tour guiding. As a result, a written assurance was given to us, that our concerns will be addressed with a high priority.
A meeting between the general membership and the SLINTGL officials will be arranged shortly, to discuss the issue further in detail.
Lesser Known Colombo
Lesser Known Colombo, a three-day workshop about a novel way to discover the city based on a treasure hunt, was held for a limited number of SLINTGL members at Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka on 10th, 11th & 12th Dec 2019.
On the first day, Prof. Asoka Mendis de Zoysa and Capt. Sadath Rajapakse introduced the concept of a treasure hunt to the participants. After spending the second day in the field discovering hidden aspects of Colombo in a real treasure hunt, on the final day the participants did their presentations on the experiences and insights they had gained. Mr. Rakitha Karunaratne, Head of Language Department at the Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, and other members of the staff there played a major role in the organisation of the event.
Going by the response from the participants and organisers, it was a resounding success. We hope to have more workshops like this in the future.
Venue: GOETHE-INSTITUT SRI LANKA, 39, R.G. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 7
Tel: +94 11 2694562 Fax: +94 11 2693351 e-mail: info-colombo@goethe.de web: https://www.goethe.de/ins/lk/en/
Day 1: Tuesday, 10th Dec
| 9am – 10.30 am | Introduction to the concept of Treasure Hunt |
| 10.30 am – 11 am | Tea break |
| 11 am – 1 pm | Insider information on on Colombo |
| 1 pm – 2 pm | Lunch |
| 2 pm – 3.30 pm | Workshop: Designing a treasure hunt for Colombo |
| 3.30 pm – 3.45 | Tea break |
| 3.45 pm – 5 pm | Designing a treasure hunt for Colombo 11 |
Day2: Wednesday, 11th Dec – in the field
Meeting point: Goethe-lnstitut at 9 am
Day3: Thursday, 12th Dec
| 9am – 10.30 am | Feedback/Reflection on Treasure Hunt |
| 10.30 am – 11 am | Tea break |
| 11 am – 1 pm | Workshop: Preparing booklet/app |
| 11 pm – 2 pm | Lunch |
| 2 pm – 3.30 pm | Workshop: Preparing booklet/app |
| 3.30 pm – 3.45 | Tea break |
| 3.45 pm – 5 pm | Workshop: Preparing booklet/app |
Materials: map, books on Colombo
Workshop on Related Laws and Regulations for Tour Guiding
A workshop for SLINTGL members on Related Laws and Regulations for Tour Guiding was conducted at the Institute on 26th Nov. 2019
Agenda of the Workshop
Workshop Theme – Related Laws & Regulations for Tour Guiding
09.00 – Registration
09.30 – Welcome Speech
09.40 – Objectives of the Workshop
President, SLINTGL
09.50 – Session 1
- Wildlife & Environmental Laws
- Customs Laws
- Bio-Piracy
Senior lawyer Mr. Jagath Gunawardana
Mr.Samantha Gunasekara – Ex Deputy Director, Customs
10.30 – Refreshments
10.45 – Session 1 Cont….
11.30 – Session 2: Unlicensed Guiding Penalties
Investigation Officer, Enforcement Unit, SLTDA
Senior lawyer Mr. Kithsiri Gunawardana
12.30 – Role of Standards & Quality Assurance & Legal Division of SLTDA
13.00 – Cape Town Declaration for Tour Guiding
Mr. Sajeewa Chamikara – Environment Flying Squad
13.30 – Session 3: Panel Discussion
- Monitoring illegal guiding
- How to stop illegal guiding
- Provisions of 2005 Tourism Act No 38 & Extraordinary Gazette 2140 / 17 – 2019 Sep 10
- Other relevant laws for tour guiding
Mr. Kottachi – Chief Investigation Officer, Police
Mr. Sajeewa Chamikara – Environment Flying Squad,
Investigation Officer,Enforcement Unit, SLTDA
Senior lawyer Mr. Kithsiri Gunawardana
President, SLINTGL
Membership database
We are currently compiling the membership data that we hold at SLINTGL, to integrate in to a Microsoft SQL Database Management System. This entails data cleansing, removal of data redundancies and preparation for integration.
Our team may contact members directly or through our office staff, when data verifications are required. We kindly request you to provide information without delay, when requested and cooperate, as we are aiming at completing the database project, before the end of this year.
The completed database will be made available for on-line searches, thus enabling a greater reach.
NTGL Licence Renewal Criteria Amended by SLTDA
At the request of the Sri Lanka Institute of National Guide Lecturers (SLINTGL), the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has decided to amend the National Tourist Guide Lecturers’ licence renewal criteria to make the process more convenient for SLINTGL members from now on.
1. The licence renewal period has been extended from 1 year to 2 years for those who have completed 5 years of continuous service.
2. A police report is no longer required; instead, a recommendation letter from SLINTGL will be accepted.