Bandar Seri Begawan - With such an emphasis on tourism in Brunei, the tourism industry could adopt a programme for tour guides where they are able to learn and speak foreign languages, in order to effectively communicate with the many tourists who visit the Sultanate each year.

Ahmad Najib Ariffin, director of Nusantara Academy of Development, Geocultures and Ethnolinguistics (Nadge) in Malaysia and Indonesia told The Brunei Times that the programme is currently being used by Tourism Malaysia.

"This programme ensures that tour guides are committed to learning different languages, as they are required to pay a deposit before they start. However, after completing the language(s) exam, the deposit will be refunded to them," he said, adding that it "seems to be working well" and that Brunei could consider the programme as well.

The ethnolinguist, who can speak seven languages, conducts tours in parts of Malaysia each year during peak seasons.

He said: it is so helpful to speak different languages in Asia because most people do not realise that non-English speaking tourists take great pride in people speaking their native languages."

Ahmad Najib said that another benefit of adopting the programme was that it "will attract even more tourists" to the country if the tour guides are multi-lingual.

Apart from encouraging tour guides in Brunei to learn more %reign languages, he said that Brunei is "already an attraction by being its honest self".

"Brunei needs to publicise more of its culture and Heart of Borneo, and that it is a harmonious Sultanate because there are not many countries left in the world that has an absolute Sultanate," he said, adding that Brunei is envied by other Southeast Asian countries for its wealth and stability.

He said that as a tourist himself, he noticed how the Brunei Tourism Board portrays His Majesty's throne on advertisements, which is "unique".

The ethnolinguist added that the Sultanate has two advantages when it came to attracting tourists from neighbouring countries. "Brunei is an English speaking country although its national language is Bahasa Melayu, but it also shares linguistics with countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia."  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

< Prev		Next >