Guide certification has been introduced in Kamchatka. But it appears to be a formality.
Head of the Kamchatka Territory Vladimir Solodov сообщил, that only certified guides and tour guides will be allowed to work in the new tourist season. Testing of tour guides, for example, includes A 30-question test on history, culture, ethnography, and tour guidance, while the second section is practical—it includes two questions about the region's nature and historical and cultural characteristics.
"Each specialist will have a special badge with a QR code. By scanning it, you'll be sure you're dealing with a professional whose qualifications have been verified," Solodov writes.
Among tour guides, 174 were certified, and 322 were added to the register of instructor-guides. According to the governor, this will make tourism on the peninsula more comfortable and safe.
One of the guides, who has been working in Kamchatka for several years, told NeMoskva on condition of anonymity that neither he nor his acquaintances have yet registered.
"Judging by the videos on social media, it's a simple process, more of an exchange of experience 'in the field.' Time will tell whether it's effective, but I doubt it," the guide says. "Accidents most often happen at major events or hikes, while 99% of tourism is package tours with one-day trips, where a car is always nearby to evacuate the injured. Safety requires a training system, not a one-time event. So for now, it all looks, essentially, like a process of organizing personnel records and bringing the tourism industry under control."
He clarified that guides in Kamchatka are paid higher than in other regions of Russia. This is why many people want to work on the peninsula. However, Kamchatka's tourism market is small, and currently, influencers and bloggers with their own audiences often bring groups to local guides.
Residents of Kamchatka were divided in their assessments of the new initiative.
"Tour guides are taught the names of volcanoes, the differences between the Koryaks and the Chukchi, and the city's monuments. They pass a test on these topics and receive a badge. Now, after that, any tourist is safe with them!" "It's best not to mess with anyone you don't know, it's good that the documents can be verified," "Avito is the very place where groups are assembled by unknown individuals, so naturally, everything has to be official," "What kind of tourism are you talking about? They simply can't keep the city in order!"
Photo: Solodov channel.
