The purpose of the event was to enhance the professional skills of tour guides, develop their creative potential, and present museum exhibits in innovative formats.
Tour guides from five museums within the Association took part in the competition. Participants competed in four stages: “Introduction” (video presentation), “The Character/Exhibit Speaks,” “Thematic Improvisation,” and “Excursion Quest.”
The Grand Prize was awarded to Dali Dariga, a tour guide of the Museum of Victims of Political Repression. Second place was taken by Aydana Smailova, a tour guide of the “Shym Qala” Historical and Cultural Complex, while third place was awarded to Perizat Bibolatkyzy of the same complex.
The event was attended by Amanzhol Nurkhan Zatybekuly, Chief Specialist of the Department for Culture and Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Shymkent City Department of Culture, Language Development and Archives, as well as Maria Keleskyzy Askarova, Acting Director of the Shymkent City Museum Association. They delivered congratulatory remarks and presented certificates of appreciation and awards to the participants.
The jury panel included Islam Murtazayevich Kalanov, a historian and multilingual tour guide; Gulnara Kenzhetayevna Bekmuratova, consultant at the “Visit Shymkent” Tourist Information Center; and Vladimir Yuryevich Privalov, journalist, tour guide, and historian. The winners were determined based on the jury’s final decision.
The “Ontustik” TV channel also provided media coverage and informational support for the event.
