DILI, september 26, 2022 (TATOLI)- The United States Agency for International Development “Tourism For All”(USAID) and the Timor CompanyUNEARTHED organized one day of tourism exchange program for 21 tour guides from the two potential sides of tourism Atauro and Ainaro.
Tourism For All USAID, Egídio da Purifikasaun Soares said, the main purpose of this activity was to bring together 21 people from two potential tourist sites to exchange experiences related to tourism activities.
“We organized an exchange program for 21 tour guides from the Atauru Tourism Association Koleku Mahanak (ATKONA) and the Hatubulico Tourism Association (ASRABEKA) to exchange experiences in tour guidance activities,” said USAID Tourism Officer For All, Egídio da Purifikasaun Soares told TATOLI at the ETDA office Hudi Laran, this Monday.
Soares said, in the event, the two sides shared knowledge about the differences and similarities of the two places, saying the two places have different tastes in food, environment, human service, etc., but there are also some similarities. In addition, they also shared about their usual activities, including hiking, diving, snorkeling, and others.
“ATKONA usually carries out activities such as visiting and climbing Manukoko Mountain, diving, and snorkeling activities around the Atauru sea, while in ASRABEKA they usually carry out activities such as visiting religious tourist attractions on Mount RAMELAU and visiting beautiful nature and the Doko Mali waterfall,” explained Egídio.
UNEARTHED tourism officer Sedeligia Maria Da Conceição said they had accompanied a one-house tourism exchange program for 21 tour guides in terms of potential tourism in Atauru and Ainaro: “We are conducting a collaborative study between the two tourism and tourism associations and UNEARTHED observes that there are several challenges facing by tour guides such as lack of basic tourism infrastructure and less organized,”
“We also observe that tourists are not comfortable without public toilets around tourist sites, lack of restaurants that provide local food on both sides of Atauro and Hatu Belico Ainaro, while also lack coordination between the government and the private sector for the management of the tourism side,” she said.
According to Conceição, the Unearthed Timor was founded in 2017 to handle tourists across the country, so far the company has become a tour guide for more than 200 international tourists to visit potential tourist sites across the country.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Nelia B.
