Govt to train youth as tourist guides
The Statesman | 13 September 2025The step has been taken after Bengal is coming up as a major tourist destination in the country.
The programme will be offered by West Bengal Tourism and the duration of the programme is for four weeks and it is called the West Bengal Tourist Guide Basic Course.
The applicant should be of 18 years of age and have passed the 10th standard examination, organised by any recognised board in the country. The applicants should have interest in history, culture and tourism.
A senior state government official said at the entry level a tourist guide gets around Rs 15,000. An experienced tourist guide can earn Rs 75,000 per month while the more experienced with specialised skills can earn around Rs 1,50,000 per month.
He said the applicants should be smart and should possess the ability to learn the basics of foreign languages, especially French, German and Spanish. The work is basically a field job and the tourist guide will have to manage a team of tourists. Local travel is an important part of the job profile. The agencies work 5 to 6 days a week and 8 to 9 hours per day.
The official said the tourists across the globe are showing interest in Bengal. Three districts of Junglemahal, including Bankura, Purulia and Jhargram are important tourist destinations. Also, tourists are visiting the fairs that are being held round the year. Different kinds of wares made by the local artisans have got international market.
Tourists are coming to Kolkata during the Durga Puja and the subsequent carnival after the UNESCO declared Durga Puja as the Intangible Cultural Heritage hub.
Taking cue from the success of religious tourism in other states, the Tourism department has proposed to start this in Bengal. The temples in Hooghly and Bankura with terracotta artwork on the walls have attracted the young tourists. Many are visiting Naya Pingla to see the Patachitra art.
“With the volume of domestic and foreign tourists going up, it is necessary to have trained guides, who know the history of the areas they are visiting along with the lives of the people there, their lifestyle and livelihood,” he said.
