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Drive to keep tourists off AIDS menace

BHUBANESWAR: To ensure tourism sector free from the menace of HIV/AIDS and safety of tourists, some 70 tourist guides from different tourist circuits of Orissa underwent a special orientation programme on their responsibilities to prevent ‘high-risk activities’ here on Wednesday. Guides are expected to play the role of change-makers and help tourists behave properly in vulnerable areas.

“Tourist guides are frontal staff in tourism industry. Their role in generating awareness on HIV/AIDS issues among tourists is extremely crucial. Since the tourism sector is a major driver of our growth, we are touching different segments of this industry on this issue,” Gobind C. Bhuyan, Assistant Director of India Tourism, Bhubaneswar, said.

The workshop on HIV/AIDS sensitisation for tourist guides was organised by the Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) and India Tourism, Bhubaneswar.

It is a part of Ministry of Tourism’s (MoT) effort to increase tourism in the country with minimal impact on HIV scenario.

Monorama Bakshi, a consultant to MoT on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS issues, said guides and other staff of hospitality sector frequently faced queries from tourists about sexual activities.

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