Khiri Travel Enhances Credentials for its Tour Leaders

Khiri Travel Thailand has been certified with Dutch ANVR tour leader accreditation following a three-day intensive course held in Bangkok.

Khiri organized the tour leader program August 19-21 in conjunction with partner organizations, Shoestring and Koning Aap, both Kuoni companies.

The ANVR (The Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators) regulates much of the tourism industry in The Netherlands, inbound and outbound. They are now in the process of certifying their tour operators' tour leader credentials. By 2014/15 all official Dutch tour operators must have ANVR tour guide accreditation.

For the training, two trainers were flown in from Amsterdam, Mr. Bart van den Heuvel from Shoestring and Ms. Marieke Schutter, an external trainer. Between them, they have over 20 years of experience in leading grouptours all over the world. Training involved intense briefings, role play and group interactions.

Khiri Travel Thailand General Manager Mr. Andre van der Marck said: "As tour operators we live and breathe by the quality of our tour leaders. We are constantly enhancing and training them -- and also learning from them. ANVR accreditation builds our already highly respected reputation in the Dutch market. It also makes our tour leaders more confident while on the road with our groups."

At the end of three full days of training, 20 tour leaders were successfully certified as ANVR tour leaders.

"Khiri's policy is to invest in our future," said Van der Marck. "The training was another proof point of Khiri's commitment to quality tourism."

The training took place in the Pak Ping Ing Tang Boutique Hotel in Nonthaburi.