Vientiane, Jul 23 (IANS): The Laos government has provided training courses for domestic tour guides to ensure they are sufficiently knowledgeable about the Southeast Asian nation's history and culture, while boosting the number of guides amid surging visitor arrivals.

The training programme by the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism ran from May 6 to July 19, Lao National TV reported on Tuesday.

More than 80 participants attended the upskilling courses for them to meet the professional standards of tour guides through competency-based trainings covering knowledge, skills and attitude.

The courses were also intended to ensure the tour guides are multilingual in providing tourists with services efficiently, knowledgably and courteously, Xinhua news agency reported.

The training programme has also served as an opportunity for creating a strong network for sharing experiences related to tour guide operations and other aspects of tourism.