The 14-day course will provide comprehensive information about Qatar’s history, environment and culture, and is required to obtain an official tour guide license

Qatar Tourism announced the opening of the Tour Guide Training Programme to give practising tour guides and eligible residents the opportunity to enhance their skills in the tourism sector.

Developed by Qatar Tourism in collaboration with stakeholders, the programme aims to raise standards and regulate tourism service providers by providing official tour guide licenses to those who complete the required work. The initiative is part of Qatar Tourism’s efforts to achieve Service Excellence in the sector and provide an unforgettable experience to visitors, especially as borders reopen and Qatar prepares to host mega sporting events.

Dates of upcoming training sessions will be announced in the coming months. Interested parties can register through the Qatar Tourism website (scan the QR code) or in person at the office of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Lusail (Al-Jassra Tower, First Floor Counter 44). The course will be conducted in English, the exam fee is QAR1,200, while the Tour Guide license fee is QAR1,000.

Berthold Trenkel of Qatar Tourism said that as the main point of contact for visitors, tour guides need to be able to tell stories, give visitors information and insights into the country’s history, culture and heritage.

As part of our Tourism Sector Strategy, we are working closely with all tourism-facing entities to implement Service Excellence at every touchpoint of the visitor’s journey. With the FIFA World Cup 2022 around the corner, we need more guides to cater to the huge number of visitors who will be arriving in the country.

The Tour Guide Training Programme uses the Tour Guide Manual developed by Qatar Tourism in partnership with a number of stakeholders including Qatar Museums, Msheireb Museums, Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Souq Waqif, Qatar Foundation, Qatar TV, and Sheikh Abdulla bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic and Cultural Center (Al Fanar).

The manual will enable tour guides to deliver insightful information about Qatar’s society and ecosystem, and also contains a section on tour group management, highlighting the skills that tour guides need to be able to provide an ideal visitor experience.

Since the beginning of the programme in 2017, over 100 tour guides have been trained, helping position Qatar as an ideal tourism spot in the Gulf.

For more details, check out visitqatar.qa.


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