Wanted: Smart tour guides

LACK of smart tour guides may turn off visitors to the Metro Clark area which hosts about 25,000 foreign and local tourists monthly.

Director Ronaldo Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism (DoT) Region III said a tour guiding seminar is slated April 16 to May 2 to address the tour operators and other industry stakeholders’ concern that lack of tour guides will ultimately beat the trade.

The rush of low-cost local and foreign carriers like Cebu Pacific Airlines, Air Asia, Tiger Airways and Asiana Airlines flying the Metro Clark route from Manila, Cebu, Singapore, Malaysia and Korea, coupled with nicely–packaged tours bring in chunky volumes of tourists who are keen to discover the province’s profile.

"As a gesture of hospitality, we need to provide our guests with clever tour guides and resource persons to promote awareness about our destination," he said.

The intensive two-week skills training program will tap college students who can speak fluent English and are willing to work part-time or full time.

Topics to be tackled are tourism overview, history of the region, tour guiding techniques, tour coordination, how to handle guests’ complaints and more.

The DoT will award successful candidates with a certificate and they will be licensed to practice the profession anywhere in the region.