Entebbe Uganda, 30th May 2022: Uganda Tourism Board in partnership with Directorate of industrial training (DIT), Sector Skills Council, and Enabel is conducting an assessment of tourist guides in Uganda at Uganda wild Life Education Center (UWEC) in Entebbe from 30th may 2022- 1st June 2022.
The assessment is being done as per the revised (ATP) Assessment and training package 2020. The purpose of the assessment is to ascertain the tourist guides that qualify for a licensing by UTB. The licenses will be issued upon successful passing of the both theoretical and practical exams.
Earlier today, 142 tour guides were subjected to their first theory exam as part of the assessment process. The tourist guides are going to be assessed in levels depending on their depth of knowledge, skills and experience. ATPs Provide assessment tools for level 1, leve2 and level 3.
The objectives of the assessment exercise are,
- To ensure that we have professional tourist guides who can give our tourists an adventure of life time through their professional guiding skills.
- To ensure that all practicing guides in Uganda are licensed by UTB.
- To regulate the tourist guides by ensuring that only licensed guides are allowed to do guiding in Uganda.
- To vet the list of guides that qualify for licenses and group them accordingly to their levels.
- To improve on the quality of services offered by guides to our tourists.
- To professionalize the guiding job
UTB’S REGULATORY MANDATE
Uganda tourism board (UTB) is mandated by the Tourism Act [2008] section 7(j & k) to regulate the tourism industry in Uganda. This is done through:
- Registering all tourism enterprises i.e. Tour Guides, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Accommodation Facilities, Stand-alone restaurants, Homestays
- Inspecting and monitoring all tourism enterprises in Uganda
- Licensing all tourism enterprises
- Assessing, training and licensing all tour guides
- Classifying accommodation facilities
- Grading stand-alone restaurants