As of Monday, the Marianas Visitors Authority, in partnership with Northern Marianas College, has officially certified over 200 tour guides. <\/p>\n
The tour guide certification program that was launched in late October of 2017 has so far certified a total of 226 tour guides across Saipan. <\/p>\n
During the Rotary Club of Saipam\u2019s weekly meeting yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan, tour guide certification program manager Kuen-Hee Han said a total of 226 badges and certificates have already been issued as of June 4; a total of 322 applicants signed up for the program. That leaves a total of 96 applicants still need to be certified.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a couple of people who haven\u2019t passed or haven\u2019t came into my office yet, or who are still on the waiting list,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
According to Han, the requirements to apply for the program is knowledge of basic CNMI history, and basic knowledge of how to conduct safe tours. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things we really emphasize is the history\u2026to disseminate the correct information because we don\u2019t want wrong information out there,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
When asked if the tour guide certification program could play a role in ensuring fewer tourist deaths in the CNMI, Han said that that is the goal. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I have seen is that most of these accidents have happened with no tour guides available. If you\u2019re with our certified tour guides\u2026they won\u2019t even take clients to Forbidden Island or places like that,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Han said that one of the biggest challenges the program currently faces is enforcement or lack of it. \u201cBut we have had great support from\u2026everyone. Every government agency that I have talked to have been waiting for this program to be launched and they\u2019re all for it,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone has a claim, everyone is a stakeholder here, so it\u2019s not just\u2026MVA\u2019s program,\u201d she added. <\/p>\n
The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands has also supported the tour guide certification program by mandating all tour agency partners to have their guides undergo the program. <\/p>\n
\u201cI presented at HANMI last week\u2026and what they told me is that, if you\u2019re a HANMI member or want to work with HANMI hotels, then you have to be a certified tour guide\u2026They won\u2019t allow any tour guide to pick up any of their clients if they\u2019re not certified,\u201d said Han. <\/p>\n
The tour guide certification program is also in the process of expanding to Tinian and Rota. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe were looking into that but because they are so remote\u2026the training is going to take a little bit\u2026but what we are trying to do is get people listed so we know that these guys are working legally,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
For interested individuals who want to be certified as tour guides, applications are available at the MVA office and the fee is $50. The classes are scheduled at night and students must complete a total of 20 hours of the program to be certified. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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