Sarawak’s inaugural ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference a ‘wake-up call’ to grow with technology

The Sarawak Tourist Guides Association (SKTGA) has announced it is to launch the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference, 24–26 October 2024 at the Imperial Hotel Kuching, Sarawak. The conference’s key message the association says, will be, ‘Togetherness in Tour Guiding Excellence’. The content will be angled at building a stronger future for tour guide communities within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The availability of information and travel services online, which has made it easier for travellers to arrange trips without depending on tour guides, is one important issue facing the tour-guiding industry. The conference will discuss how tour guides can grow with the digital transformation era and make a positive change in the regional tour guiding community. The conference also aims to support the Sarawak government’s tourism development plans under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy. “Tourism is part of the services industry, which accounted for 37% of Sarawak’s gross domestic product in 2023,” said Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, minister for tourism, creative industry and performing arts Sarawak, noting also that growth in tourism receipts more than doubled last year. “We collected RM9.99bn (US$2.11bn) in tourism receipts last year, but, despite excellent statistics, we must prioritise the protection and promotion of tour guides, and educate the invaluable contributions and unique experiences they offer,” the minister said. “Tour guides are storytellers – they have historical and cultural information about the destination, offer personalised experiences and bridge language barriers and cultural gaps. Most of all, they ensure safety and security. Technology and independence cannot offer this level of travel experience and human interaction and it is important to keep it alive.” “As travel services digitalise, certain aspects of the travel and tour industry are declining. It is a wake-up call that tour guides must grow with technology, emphasise the strengths of the tour-guiding community and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we remain thriving in the face of technology and changing consumer choices,” said Edwin Lim, honorary chairman of SKTGA. “Other challenges that we face as tour guides include sustaining during off-peak seasons and how to support younger guides into the career. By gathering key players at the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference, we hope to unite as a global community and transform the tourism landscape.” “When associations face challenges like these, it makes legacy impact significant to drive solutions. Hosting the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference is about turning challenges into opportunities and making a positive impact on a community that is trying to sustain the industry and promote its expertise for a transformation in Sarawak’s tourism landscape,” said Amelia Roziman, CEO of BESarawak. “An impact mindset is essential in transforming the tourist guiding industry and business events will be the platform for STGA’s aspired change.” This is the first tourist guide conference in ASEAN with a target of 400 delegates and is projected to generate RM3.3m in total economic impact. View the official promotional poster for the 1st ASEAN Tourist Guides Conference here.