Gyeonggi Province to Train Sign Language-Capable Cultural and Tourism Interpreters...Expected to Improve Satisfaction Among Deaf and Hard of Hearing Visitors

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province is preparing sign language cultural and tourism interpretation services to enhance tourism satisfaction among deaf and hard of hearing visitors.

The province announced on April 4 that it will conduct a three-month "sign language interpretation training" program targeting 30 cultural and tourism interpreters starting from April 5.

The province currently deploys approximately 570 cultural and tourism interpreters across 162 tourist attractions and provides comprehensive interpretation services to domestic and international tourists, ranging from professional knowledge about tourism resources to hidden stories.

However, the reality is that since there are virtually no cultural and tourism interpreters capable of using sign language fluently, deaf and hard of hearing visitors find it difficult to achieve satisfaction levels comparable to general tourists.

In response, the province plans to cultivate cultural and tourism interpreters with sign language skills to provide customized sign language interpretation to deaf and hard of hearing visitors, thereby enhancing understanding of tourist attractions and tourism satisfaction.

This training program, introduced for the first time this year, is structured as a course specialized in cultural and tourism interpretation, ranging from basic sign language for simple communication to practice in using interpretation terminology.

The province plans to assess how much sign language existing cultural and tourism interpreters acquire through the first training session and coordinate when to launch sign language interpretation services in the field. Additionally, the province plans to gradually expand the training target.

Choi Yong-hoon, head of the Tourism Division at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We will continue to make efforts to ensure that all tourists visiting Gyeonggi Province enjoy equal benefits and provide diverse and in-depth cultural and tourism interpretation services."

Meanwhile, the province is supporting improved accessibility through facility improvements such as enhancing pedestrian pathways within tourist attractions and installing family restrooms to ensure comfortable travel for vulnerable groups in tourism, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and those accompanying infants and young children.

In addition to such physical environmental improvements and sign language interpretation training to strengthen cultural and tourism interpretation services, the province plans to expand tourism opportunities for vulnerable groups and establish an image of "barrier-free tourism in Gyeonggi."