Many tour guides in Nghe An are at risk of unemployment.

(Baonghean.vn)- With the new regulations of the 2017 Tourism Law, many freelance tour guides are facing the risk of unemployment.

Tour guide leads tourists to experience and learn about the traditional brocade weaving of ethnic minorities in Hoa Tien Village (Quy Chau). Photo: Vuong Bang

Specifically, the 2017 Tourism Law, effective from January 1, 2018, stipulates that tour guides can only practice when they meet all three conditions: Have a tour guide card; Have a labor contract with a travel service business enterprise, a tour guide service provider or a member of a social-professional organization on tour guiding for international tour guides and domestic tour guides; Have a tour guide contract with a travel service business enterprise or a document assigning guides according to the tour program; for tour guides at the site, there must be an assignment from the organization or individual managing the tourist area or tourist spot.

Currently, in Nghe An, there are 170 licensed tour guides. In addition, there are many people working as tour guides without a card, working illegally on a seasonal basis for travel agencies.

In fact, most tour guides today work freelance, without an official labor contract with any unit and without any organization to manage this team of freelance tour guides. According to the new regulations of the Law, freelance tour guides will face many difficulties, even the risk of unemployment if they do not work officially, pay insurance and belong to a travel company or an organization.

Faced with this situation, Nghe An Department of Tourism has just issued an Official Dispatch on the implementation of tour guide management according to the provisions of the 2017 Tourism Law, in which it requested Nghe An Tourism Association to study and propose the establishment of an Association or Branch of Tour Guides under Nghe An Tourism Association with the aim of protecting the rights of tour guides; training and fostering skills and expertise; inspecting and supervising tour guides' activities in compliance with the law.

Wang Bang