Industry players say a long-standing shortage of foreign language tourist guides – which has been exacerbated by COVID-19, red tape, and visa issues – is threatening the sector and making it difficult to compete with other long-haul destinations.
Alisha Kirk, Academy Manager & Special Projects at Tourvest Destination Management said that the foreign-language guide pool had been under pressure for years, which has been exacerbated by fewer foreign guides being available to the industry after COVID.
“There is no greater plan from any department to address the matter. Instead, we find the red tape getting tighter and tighter, because the Department of Home Affairs doesn’t recognise language as a critical skill,” Kirk says.
The 2023 list of critical skills released by Home Affairs only includes languages as a critical skill for call centres, but makes no mention of tourism-related activities.
Obstacles
Chairperson of the National Federation of Tourist Guides Association…
