Expert: Competency enhancement for volcanic tour guides must be specific
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Tourism expert from Andalas University, Sari Lenggogeni, believes that competency enhancement for tour guides, particularly those operating on volcanoes, needs to be specific and supported by government assistance.
“I strongly support the Ministry of Tourism’s programme to include guide training within travel safety. However, for volcanoes, the competencies need to be more specific,” Sari said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday.
Sari stated that the government needs to view volcanic guides not merely as tour guides, but as risk communicators and first aid providers.
Therefore, she believes training should encompass an understanding of volcanic activity status, danger zones, and various volcanic threats; the ability to translate technical information into simple language for tourists; the ability to make rapid decisions when situations change; and methods for managing tourists in states of panic.
Other necessary training, according to Sari, includes providing basic first aid and emergency response, weather and terrain assessment, and emergency digital communication, including the use of GPS, emergency communication, and tourist tracking systems.
“Weather and terrain assessment is crucial because climbing safety is not only influenced by volcanic activity,” she noted.
“Equally important is the psychological aspect of the tourists. In crisis situations, guides must be able to foster protective behaviour rather than panic,” Sari added.
Furthermore, Sari assessed the need for specific certification for volcanic safety guiding, accompanied by refresher training and periodic simulations alongside the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) or BASARNAS, and destination managers.
Another point raised by Sari was that Indonesia has the opportunity to become a global model regarding volcanic tourism.
“In my opinion, Indonesia actually has the opportunity to become a world model for safe and resilient volcanic tourism. This is due to Indonesia’s position as one of the countries located within the Ring of Fire.”
While risks cannot be eliminated, she stated that Indonesia can become the best nation in understanding, communicating, and managing those risks.
Regarding global tourism trends, travellers are currently seeking nature-based tourism, adventure, authentic experiences, geotourism, and activities that provide strong emotional experiences.
In this context, volcanoes possess very strong attractions, ranging from landscapes, sunrises, trekking, and craters to the culture of local communities, photography, and geological and disaster education experiences.
“However, there is an interesting paradox. The more unique a volcano is as a tourist attraction, the greater the need for risk management. Therefore, I believe Indonesia’s volcanic tourism paradigm needs to shift from merely volcanic tourism to safe and resilient volcanic tourism,” she said.
She also emphasised that tourist destinations must have tourism risk mitigation. Management must begin during the pre-event and prodromal stages, which involves reading risk signs, performing mitigation, and preparing responses before a disaster occurs.
There is also a need to strengthen crisis management strategies, where preparedness, strategy implementation, evaluation, and learning must become a continuous, integrated system.