Anyone in Azerbaijan has been able to work as a tourist guide since 2017, which reduces the quality of service provided to tourists, said Tural Musayev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Guides Association, Report informs.
"Many guides have dreamed of certification. The Association has two projects to improve the quality of guidance. One of them is the 'Tourist Guide Comment Book', where information about tourist facilities and reserves is collected and presented to guides. This is crucial for tour guides to provide the same information about their destinations. On the other hand, those who do not have a guide card, will have difficulty entering museums, which alters the quality of work. As a result, the number of fake guides will decrease," he noted.
According to Musayev, tour guides want certification to be carried out in the regions: "Guides in the regions are members of the Association. So far, we have trained in 7 districts, and 20 out of 30 participants have passed the exam. If we apply this certification to the country, then the guides leaving Baku will prevent others from working. That is why we want such accreditation in the region. This should be written as a project, and a tourism guide for a specific area should be hired as an expert."