Tourist guides struggle to make ends meet as pandemic hits sector hardest

Domestic tourism picked up slowly post the lockdown, but it hardly made any difference to the lives of those tourist guides whose major source of income are international visitors

Faheem Khan, a government-registered tourist guide, familiarised foreign tourists to Delhi at Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monuments in the city until March last year when the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a nationwide lockdown. As someone who largely guided foreign tourists, Khan could not fully resume work even after lockdown restrictions were eased. The surge in Covid-19 cases this summer worsened the situation of guides such as Khan. They say they do not expect the situation to get better as foreign tourists were unlikely to return anytime sooner. “International flights were stopped... Since then, our work has halted,” said Khan, a Persian language expert with a doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Representational Image. (HT archive)

Financial distress

With all his savings drying up and no source of income, Khan returned home in Bihar last month and took up farming for survival. “There are zero work opportunities for people like me who were dependent on international tourism. We are struggling to make ends meet. I returned to my village and have taken up farming for sustenance,” said Khan, who is from Sarai in Bihar’s Vaishali district.

He said tourism was among the first sectors to be affected and has not seen any recovery. “Most other sectors picked up post unlock [easing of lockdown norms]. There was no revival or change in circumstances for guides who rely on international travellers,” he said.

Domestic tourism picked up slowly post the lockdown, but it hardly made any difference to the lives of tourist guides such as Khan. International visitors are a major source of income for them since the percentage of domestic tourists availing of their services is negligible. “Within the country, a major section of tourists are budget travellers. They do not hire guides. We have waited for hours at monuments but hardly anyone approached us. Foreigners working in India are the only ones who approach us but even those opportunities have been curtailed...”

Pleas for financial support

Dildar Singh, another tourist guide, said he has been without work since last year. Singh guided tourists of different nationalities due to his ability to speak at least seven languages. “The market is broken. On top of that, the lockdown is another added burden. We have been sitting idle at home for the past one and a half years. There is no stipend or medical support either,” said Singh, who is in his 60s.

Financial support has been extended to guides in places such as Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir, but there has been no such assistance in Delhi. “Nearly 90% of tourists visiting the country visit Delhi and other cities in the northern region but no support has been given to us,” said Singh.

Government Approved Tourist Guides’ Association president Sanjeev Kumar said the guides, who are at the lowest rung of the tourism sector, have been badly hit and 17 of their associations sought financial support in March last year but received no response. “There are around 500 registered guides in Delhi-NCR [National Capital Region] alone and nearly 4,000 in the country. The government has not provided any monetary support.”

Sanjay Sharma, president of the Tourist Guides Federation of India, said the government ignored their demands. “The guides are the front-line warriors of the tourism industry but unfortunately we have not received any support despite reaching out to the tourism minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and everyone else. They have not even acknowledged our grievances.”

Online course, a new challenge

Kumar said the introduction of the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme last year to create more opportunities in the tourism industry has added to their woes. Participants, who have cleared their Class 12 exams, are eligible to become certified tourist facilitators under the tourism ministry after completing the programme.

Kumar said they are facing a double whammy of the pandemic and the government apathy. “It is ironic that when the government should be supporting us to overcome the hardships due to Covid-19 pandemic, it is trying to abrogate our licenses,” said Kumar. He blamed the government for failing to guarantee a minimum of 90-day work required by the ministry’s guidelines. “The world is thinking about ways to restore the employment of at least a part of the people engaged in tourism, but our government is thinking of creating further employment which is nothing but a farce.”

Singh said the pandemic snatched their livelihood and the introduction of facilitators was a threat to people who have spent decades in the sector. “Most old guides are graduates, post-graduates, or PhD holders with fluency in multiple languages. The government has approved [as guides] even [those who have just cleared Class 12 exams]... How can facilitators be equal to guides? This is a cruel joke since registered guides like us are unable to get any work,” said Singh. He called tourist guides cultural ambassadors of any country and asked the government to help them amid the crisis.

An ASI official, who did not wish to be named, said the government started the online certification programme last year, but more clarity on it would be available once the Covid-related restrictions are lifted.

The tourism ministry did not respond immediately to an HT request for comments.

Tour operators

The pandemic has also hit tour operators and travel agents. Paharganj, a popular destination for tourists and a hub of low-budget hotels, restaurants, and shops, has been wearing a deserted look since last year.

Anil Bhardwaj, a travel agent and moneychanger, has not reopened his shop in the market since March 21, 2021. A Haryana native, he has fallen back upon farming. He is among those whose businesses in the market have been shuttered in the absence of foreign tourists, their primary clientele. “I have not opened my office since last year since there are no foreign tourists. My work is 99% dependent on foreign tourists. Nearly 50% of the market is deserted. Paharganj is on the verge of devastation,” said Bhardwaj, 53. He said the entire tourism ecosystem, from hotels to cabs, has been hit. “I get daily calls from cabbies from other cities who used to get clients through me. Hotels are barely surviving with two staff members. Our future looks uncertain.”