The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) will now certify all tourism service providers in the country to be able to operate in the new normal. It is as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), developed by the council. Working towards reopening the country to tourists, the TCB is also training a group of trainers on Clean and Safe certification.
Once the tourism service providers resume operation, ‘Clean and Safe’ certification will become a prerequisite to open their services to tourists. The certificate will ensure that the organization is safe, clean, and ready to serve customers in compliance with health and safety protocols.
“As long as you fulfil standards for clean and safe certification, you will get certified by the tourism council of Bhutan. And with that certificate, you can cater to tourists. So we would urge all hotels and restaurants to register for this training, which will happen from mid-October,” said Thinley Rigzin, the Chief Tourism Officer.
The council is also training 25 hotel experts and graduates from the Royal Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (RITH) who will train representatives from hotels and restaurants.
Similar training will also be provided online to tour operators and guides.
According to the chief tourism officer, a participant should score a minimum point to be certified as a clean service provider.
During the training, participants will learn about COVID-19, the Clean and Safe certification program among others.
“We train them on the overview of COVID-19, signs, symptoms, and dos and don’ts. We also emphasize on the infection control and prevention of transmission,” said Dr Kipchu Tshering from the Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Science.
The TCB will also certify non-star-rated hotels and then categorise them as Blue Poppy hotels. This is being done as per the executive order issued by the government to standardize and certify all non-star-rated hotels in the country.
Today, there are about 180 star-rated hotels and more than 500 budget hotels in the country.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Chayku
