Tour guides play an important role in the tourism industry. — Photos: The Star
Tourism has always been one of the major industries in Malaysia, consistently drawing travellers from far and wide. With the country’s diverse culture and history, geographical wonders and natural beauty, it is not hard to see why tourists love coming to Malaysia.
Of course, an important component that helps the industry thrive is tour guides. Without them, it is akin to “... inviting a guest (over) without a host at home”, according to president of the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council, Jimmy Leong Wie Kong. These guides are “hosts” who extend their hospitality to tourists in order for them to have better travel experiences in Malaysia, he said.
Based on Leong’s observation, more tourists today prefer travelling in smaller groups, where they can request for tailored itineraries that suit their needs. “Places with smaller crowds are often their go-to spots. Tourist guides will come in handy in navigating these nooks and crannies.”
As the tourism industry exponentially grew back in the early- to mid-2000s, so did the number of tour guides. It was an exciting career choice for many, as it allowed one not just to travel but also to meet new people who come from various countries, try new experiences and much more.
Today, however, tells a different story. Although it seems like there is an influx of tour guides in the country, the actual number of registered guides has seen a decline in the past few years – from over 10,000 in 2019 to around 9,000 this year.
“The pandemic is the reason behind this shrinkage, as tour guides become less confident of the industry. Most have moved on from the sector to seek other opportunities,” said Leong, who is based in Johor.
But there seems to be another challenge that transpired in recent years: the rise of unregistered guides. These are folks who advertise their “hosting” or “guiding” services online – either via social media, digital travel platforms or online marketplaces – without actually registering with a government body or organisation.
This also means that most of them work as tour guides without a permit.
“The act of an unauthorised individual providing guiding services is not permissible under the Tourism Industry Act 1992,” said Leong.
In fact, this is also a growing problem in South Korea, where foreign students (whose visa usually does not permit them to work) bring tourists from their own countries around hotspots like Seoul, Busan and Jeju. If or when they are confronted, these students will say that the tourists are “family members” who have come to South Korea for a holiday.
You can learn even more about Melaka from a local tour guide who knows all the good spots and stories. — Tourism Malaysia
Bad for business
Leong thinks the rise of unregistered tour guides will have severe repercussions not only to the sector itself but also to the nation’s reputation.
“These individuals are not licensed to conduct tours. More importantly, they are not trained to upkeep the image of the nation,” Leong said.
Kuala Lumpur-based tourist guide Diana Lee, 70, seconded this, highlighting an issue tourists face when hiring unauthorised guides – the risk of exposing themselves to incorrect information.
There is also the issue of safety, a concern for both the guide and the tourist.
According to Leong, licensed guides who are caught engaging in a serious offence during the course of their duty will have their licence revoked. On the other hand, there is nothing stopping unlicensed guides from doing anything untoward during a tour, so a tourist’s safety is at risk.
Leong currently serves as the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president.
More often than not, though, tourists are not aware of their host’s legitimacy. Lee feels that this is because no one will willingly use an “illegal” guiding service.
“Unregistered individuals acting as a guide can really hurt our credibility (as a destination). Holidaymakers will lose trust in us, hence affecting their decision to revisit our country in the future.
“We want to encourage the revisitation of tourists, but if we are unable to uphold the standards, then they are not going to come back,” explained Lee, who has been guiding for nearly two decades.
“These illegal guides are a nuisance,” she continued, adding that some of them are foreigners “... who disguise themselves as locals, ‘selling’ their services on international digital platforms and marketplaces.”
Lee also said that these hosts charge more than a licensed guides, though most travellers usually assume that the former would be more “affordable”.
“They charge in foreign currency,” Lee revealed.
Unregistered guides, who have wrongfully “positioned” themselves as industry experts, are not just tarnishing the country’s image, they are taking away jobs from local guides who are trained in the field, Lee said.
The seasoned guide herself recently witnessed a small group being led by an unauthorised host during a tour at a popular temple in KL. She described the experience as “unpleasant”.
“He was brazenly saying all the wrong things about the history of the place to the group of tourists that he was ‘guiding’,” she shared, adding that the man hurriedly left after she confronted him.
Her colleague encountered a similar incident, which took place at the world-famous Batu Caves in Gombak, Selangor.
Lee has been guiding tours for two decades. — DIANA LEE
Not an easy task
Contrary to widespread belief that the tour guiding profession is easy, Lee said it’s not as clear-cut as it appears.
Before joining an official tour guide course, applicants first need to pass an interview. If you fail the interview, you will not be admitted into the course.
If you are selected, you would need to undergo a six-month course held by a licensed tourism training institute. During this period, applicants’ language and oral proficiency (which includes their eloquence in storytelling) will be put to the test. After completing the course, they will then take an examination.
“They will serve a probationary period of two years (after passing the exam),” Lee said.
But that’s not all. Professional guides have to take a refresher course every two years, too. Doing so not only helps them stay competent in the industry but will also equip them with the knowledge and expertise to handle the different profiles of tourists.
In general, Lee said, whenever guides are given an assignment, “... we will learn as much as possible about our customers – with the information at hand – prior to the tour to ensure our services align with their needs.”
For example, guides are able to gauge their customers’ intention by paying attention to the questions they ask, which can sometimes be pretty general, like, “What’s the standard of living here?”.
“As a guide, we need to know how to answer these kinds of questions,” Lee said.
Having the skills to tackle difficult situations that may arise when on duty is as equally important as understanding tourists’ demands.
Expanding on the guides’ responsibilities, she said while they work alongside tour operators, their services go beyond that.
“We host any individual or groups that require guiding services, such as universities and medical tourists,” said Lee, who also provides free tours at a museum in KL every Saturday.
Leong (centre) said tour guides are equipped with the knowledge and skill to better communicate and connect with tourists.
On the go
Unlike our neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, whose governments always ensure that only licensed guides are utilised to accompany visiting tourists, things are not quite the same here as unscrupulous companies always seem to find a loophole in the system, Leong said.
For instance, any group of tourists numbering seven and below in a licensed tourist vehicle need not use a registered tour guide, according to Leong. Some unscrupulous tour operators would split bigger groups into smaller ones (usually made up of seven people and fewer) in different vehicles, to get away from using a licensed tour guide, he revealed.
This prevents tourists from receiving the actual hospitality and experiences that “they should be accorded”. Making the situation worse is this encourages more illegal guiding activities within the industry.
“Without a strict imposition on this matter, these unlicensed individuals are said to sometimes network with other illegal logistic operators, creating an even bigger group of unregulated tourism providers in the industry,” he lamented.
Having visited numerous destinations around the world, Leong cited an example of a country that has made it compulsory for tourists to use registered tour guides: South Asia’s popular holiday spot, Bhutan.
In this country, tourists must pretty much pay for their whole holiday upfront before they can enter. This payment will be for the daily visa fees, which will include tour operator and tour guide fees, entrance fees to some attractions, as well as basic accommodation and meals.
“This shows that the government is aware of the positive impact of having a tourist visit a destination with a guide rather than without one,” said Leong.
Both he and Lee said the rise in unregistered tour guides is the reason why some licensed guides have grown hesitant over renewing their permit, which can be done annually, or every two to three years.
Thankfully, the government is already making an effort to tackle this problem, Lee said. The authorities understand the gravity of the situation, realising the damaging impact these illegal guides are causing to the industry and the nation.
“The tourism ministry is reviewing the Tourism Act, as it needs to be updated to ensure its relevance in the current market, and to think about issues such as the rise of digital platforms,” Lee shared, adding that the government is also looking into updating tour guide certification programmes.
This includes workshops on digitalisation, where tourism players are encouraged to attend in order to enhance their skills and knowledge. This can help them keep up with the changing travel trends.
Regular meetings are also being held among industry players, including hoteliers and tour and transport operators. “This provides a space for us to offer our suggestions and exchange experiences,” Lee said.
“We have a year left to get everything into place before Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” she said.
