Sharjah trains local tour guides

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has launched a set of new training programmes to improve the skill and knowledge of local tour guides.

TT Bureau
According to the SCTDA, the training programmes are expected to keep tour guides updated about the latest developments covering Sharjah’s tourism sector. The offered courses include practical lessons and field visits to many cultural, tourist and recreational sites in the emirate. The training programmes demonstrate SCTDA’s commitment to place key importance on the significant role that guides play in the continuing development of the emirate’s tourism industry—acknowledging their presence as key pillars in promoting the growth of tourist activity in the country and increasing the attraction of tourists and visitors to learn more about UAE’s heritage and culture. The SCTDA revealed that the series of training courses will be available to its strategic partners from the tourism and cultural sector. In fact, the authority has already organised a tour for the Sharjah Museums Tour Guides to ‘Mleiha,’ which will give them the opportunity to see and learn more about the rich cultural heritage of the region.
The SCTDA has also developed a series of training courses under the umbrella of the ‘Marhabtain’ initiative, with an aim to train and award certification to tour guides under the supervision of tourism experts and professionals. The courses are primarily aimed towards throwing the spotlight on Sharjah’s many tourism landmarks, especially after the continuously growing attention and interest in the country’s archaeological, tourism and cultural sites. The new training programmes aim at helping reinforce the emirate’s tourism industry, now a major contributor to Sharjah’s economy in light of the increasing number of tourists.
These courses are expected to attract the participation of several local tour guides, which will help enhance their knowledge and skills. This initiative is part of SCTDA’s continuing efforts to enhance the human resources capabilities in the tourism sector in the emirate, aimed to train and assist the guides via comprehensive courses that will also be offered in English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian—giving them the advantage of introducing Sharjah’s history and culture to tourists, in line with the objectives of Sharjah Tourism Vision to attract 10 million tourists by 2021.