‘Guidewala’ brings hopes for a crucial link in the tourism sector
These are changing times and these are troubled times, especially for the tourism and hospitality sector. With a large section of the industry falling into the unorganised sector, a big number of people were left with no choice but to fend for themselves without any jobs and earnings. But interestingly this crisis also gave many segments an opportunity to reorganise and redesign.
Tourist guides was one such segment. Almost all of them belong to unorganised sector, baring a few who are attached to big tour operators and travel companies. Since a coronavirus lockdown brought to halt all types of tourist activities in March 2020, all were left jobless. Many of them haven’t had a single job day for last more than a year.
That’s when the idea of giving these guides a common platform sinked in and it gave birth to ‘Guidewala’ app. This app fills a big gap between the tourists and the guides, as earlier, no such platform existed. It fulfils the mutual need. So, although tourist activities in the country are yet to pick up—and on the contrary they face an uncertainty again due to third wave of COVID infections—the app gives some sort of hope to the guide community.
Well, the idea for the app didn’t come in the time of COVID lockdown per say. As the Team Director for Guidewala Bhavani Singh of Jaipur puts it, it was a long journey. Idea of a guide aggregator service on the lines of Uber and Ola taxi services was always going through his mind. He started his efforts way back in 2017, but was not able to put it together.
One big hurdle was the fact that guiding services were not a complete product in itself. Instead, they were one small part of a complete tourist experience- which include transport, accommodation, food and other destination experiences.
Breakthrough in launching the platform was finally achieved last year once the lockdown was imposed and all the guides, including Bhavani Singh himself went jobless. The catalyst was the Incredible India Tourist Guide Facilitator online certificate program of the Tourism Department of the Government of India. Through this India Tourism was looking to build a pan India tourist guide capacity and most importantly it welcomed aggregator programs.
So finally, the Guidewala app was born.
Talking more about the app, Bhavani Singh says, generally, a tourist tries to fetch a good and reliable guide from various sources and on the other side, guides have been trying to get tourist from different sources for their livelihood. But in such a scattered arrangement, most of the time either guides are found pleading behind the different tourists to hire them or tourist are left wanting for a good guide.
This app will provide a platform for a systematic connect addressing important concerns of both- tourists as well as guides in a transparent manner. Guides will get proper designated work and tourists, a service of informed and reliable guide. Through the ‘Guidewala’ app, any tourist can book a guide online for themselves.
Guide fees will have to be paid in advance so as to protect the guides and discourage bargaining practices hitting at the rock bottom level.
“We don’t want guides to lose the deals for a small amount, but on Guidewala platform we will publish the established guide fees and all relevant and important information.”
App is designed to provide systematic employment opportunities to the guides. All classified guides authorized from different institutions, monuments, departments and governments can be registered on app after giving their personal and licensing details.
As of now, more than 1500 guides in Golden triangle tourist tour of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur are part of the team. Now Guidewala plans to extend its portfolio in other major cities of Rajasthan, Varanasi and Khajuraho in North India and Cochin as well as Mumbai. Initially, they plan to reach 22 cities across India in the first phase.
Irony is, although COVID crisis was the catalyst behind designing of this app, it is also the biggest impediment in is growth as tourist activities are not picking up at desired pace. In fact, new and stronger wave of COVID infections have all but closed the hopes of an early revival.
But, Bhavani Singh is optimistic that whenever it happens, Guidewala app will boost the fortunes of guide community in India.
Guidewala team has charted a course of action for helping the guide community while moving ahead. That includes-
a. Creating awareness among the tourists to understand the importance and respect of guide profession.
b. Capacity building programs for guiding skill development.
c. Uniform federal structuring of guide system across India, including tourist guides, pilgrim facilitators (Pandas), naturalists in parks, tracking facilitators and many other verticals.
d. Gathering support for ‘Guidewala’ in enabling it to build a strong platform for providing systematic and reliable guide services.
e. Social media activities to support ‘Guidewala’ and similar platforms, in larger interest of generating employment for freelance and unorganized tourist service sector.
Bhavani Singh says, “So far we targeting Indian Domestic tourists only under Incredible India tourism’s DEKHO APNA DESH program. Marketing approach for inbound foreign tourists is an extensive as well as expensive affair and we are not ready to take that load. If we get any financial support than we will consider the deal. But in any case, any tourist coming to India can book a guide through ‘Guidewala’ app”.
Such an effort surely calls for an institutional or government support.
“Nothing is enough!”, says Bhavani Singh. “Minimum we expect is to get our product line i.e. website & app integrate with government’s official networking through India Tourism Offices in India and abroad, as well as all state tourism departments, International tourism agencies (such as UNWTO) and other platforms.
Basic work done, there is still a long way to go for the Guidewala team to secure a healthy future for one of the weakest links in the tourism package.
Wonderful concept for unorganized tourism sector.