Malaysia’s ministry of tourism will offer free online courses for all tourist guides.
With all guides at home eagerly awaiting a tourism recovery, the ministry will help guides become more social media savvy to better engage with customers.
"We will teach them to produce teaser videos on their platform, including on social media, by using their expertise in telling stories about tourist attractions so as to encourage tourists to visit those places," said Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof.
Musa said no start date has been confirmed for the course, which wil be available for all tour guides intending to renew their license.
It will be developed in association with the Tourism Training Institute and the tour guide association.
Earlier this month tourism industry leaders asked the government to waive licensing fees for tour guides for the next two years.
Johor Tourism Association chairman Jimmy Leong said many small tourism businesses are close to ‘near collapse’ and a separate aid package focused on small tourism businesses is necessary.
Research firm Affin Hwang Capital said the tourism industry could lose up to $12 billion in revenue this year.
