Kavitha S. Mannikere, the District Magistrate of Hospet and Chairperson of the District Tourism Development Committee, has ordered that all tour guides operating in Hampi must mandatorily wear a uniform. The decision was taken at a meeting held at the Kamalapura Panchayat to prevent confusion among tourists and to facilitate the easy identification of official guides.
The order requires guides to wear the uniform distributed during the refresher training conducted at the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University in Gadag, along with the identity card provided by the Tourism Department. An exemption is granted only on Tuesdays, when the designated uniform is not required. The directive warns that any violation will result in the permanent cancellation of the guide’s license card.
This order follows a petition submitted on April 6 by the Karnataka State Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Tour Guides Association of Hampi, which the administration has now endorsed.