Tourist guides call for integration of the sector

The fragmentation that prevails among the players that make up the offer of tourism in the country has become a major barrier to the development of the sector and the takeoff of destinations like Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata.

This was stated by the President of the Association of guides of tourism, Tirso Cabral, who criticized that members of this Guild are excluded from the activities carried out by the sector, even though the segment that interacts most directly with the tourists.

He said that the lack of integration and communication between hotel owners, operators and guides not allowed to create a range of attractive enough for foreigners visiting the city Primada de America.

Leader reacted to a statement of the President of the Association of hotels in Santo Domingo, Roberto HENRIQUEZ, on the need to train taxi - guides to make tourists well informed during his journey for the u000aCity

Cabral found that that suggestion is senseless before declining the offer of work faced by tour guides, despite the fact that they have the necessary skills to carry out its work with the quality required.

He suggested that the Ministry of tourism meet the actors of the sector, without excluding any link in the chain, to discuss the needs and create proposals in way comprehensive.

Cabral highlights that you one the major disadvantages of tourism in Santo Domingo is the length of stay of the tourist, who is usually very short and does not allow to explore the resources available, that it limits spending by visitors.

"The Association identified 40 excursions that can be made from the Capital and the operators are just doing the"city-tour"(city tours) and visits to Altos de Chavon, Saona Island, the cave of wonders, the National Park the Haitises and the Bay of" u000a"Samana in the season of humpback whales", pointed out.

The Vice-Chairperson of the entity, Paula Soriano, in Santo Domingo it was necessary to extend the offer of cultural activities to enjoy in the nights.

"The operators could create a better offer if met with guides to analyze what are the most interesting excursions to its clients, rather than creating packages unilaterally".

Noted that main complaints from tourists are the dirt of the cities and the problems of transit, that have not created the conditions for the movement of persons with disabilities often arrive in the country on cruises.

Stressed that since May of this year tourist guides work opportunities are limited by the decrease in the flow of visitors. "The ship that reaches Sansoucí is Aida, which comes from Germany, and used four or five guides who speak German" u000a"and others stayed at home," explains.

Soriano criticized that tourism is promoting Dominican Republic in countries like Russia without having created a programme of training of local personnel in that language to receive tourists. He said that the country becomes a Charter of Czech Republic twice per week and there are not people who speak Czech in the country.

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Formation of the guides of tourism
President of the Association of guides of tourism said that instead of creating a training programme for new guides, as proposed by the President of the Association of hotels in Santo Domingo, must be strengthened integration the members of the entity to the workshops, forums and seminars carried out the sector.

He said that part of the Association requires training of specialized tourism, guide, that the applicant has completed at least one technical degree and speak more than one language.

Tirso Cabral u000aHe explained that the training dealt with topics on history, geography, flora and fauna, monumentalism and ethics.

He stressed that in recent years the entity has strengthened the training of its members with training in languages, particularly Portuguese, as well as workshops on monumentalism taught by architects, and excursions to meet new potential destinations as the cocoa route at Yamasa.

The Association brings together 614 national guides: 240 in Higu¨ey, 120 in Santo Domingo, 180 in Puerto Plata, Samana 48 and 26 in San Juan River, which are excursions from these points toward any part of country

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