Some have criticized DoT’s mandated competency assessment for certified tour guides, claiming it was implemented without enough national certification standards or study. Instead than relying solely on speculation, DoT director Damcho Rinzin clarified that the decision was made with continuous feedback from tourists. Although Garab Dorji, president of GAB, agrees that competency evaluations are important, he cautions about their possible disadvantages, including the need for time and resources, stress, and the possibility of inaccurate test results. In an effort to strengthen the legitimacy of the national certification granted by the Bhutan Qualification and Professional Certification Authority, Bhutan’s Department of Technology has implemented competency checks for licensed guides. According to several senior guides, such evaluations ought to be made available to other tourism industry participants, such as DoT representatives, hotel employees, and tour operators.
In addition to increasing competition and lowering wages, the growth of guide training schools is also compromising service standards. The DoT still does not have complete statistics on the number of tour guides in operation or more general labor market characteristics, despite officials’ belief that efforts are being made to enhance data gathering. To ease logistical concerns, DoT plans to make the upcoming exams more convenient. For instance, while guides wait for customers to arrive, it will provide assessments at locations such as Paro International Airport. To guarantee inclusion and relevance to the tourism sector, industry professionals will oversee the evaluations, which should take less than 30 minutes.