Execs start program to boost tourism; 41 MP guides trained

By Francis Degay

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Regional government executives and provincial officials have created a program to boost tourism in the province by training tourist guides.

As a result, 41 potential guides from Bontoc and Sabangan town in the province attended a training on “basic customers service tour guiding techniques on June 9-10 at the Pearl Café here.

The training was co-sponsored by the regional Department of Tourism, the provincial government and local government of Sabangan.

Julius Ceasar Judalena, a resource speaker, hired by DOT said there is need to professionalize tour guides through constant training.

He added tour guides must be adept in the place, its culture and tradition, facilities and all the things a tourist must like to know.

An actual tour guiding was done by the participants within from the training venue including the provincial plaza and.

The training was initiated due to absence of trained guides and the opening of new trekking and mountain climbing routes within Sabangan and Bontoc.

Tourism development is one of the flagship programs of Gov. Leonard Mayaen who said tourist arrivals propel economic prosperity among constituents through creation of new jobs, businesses and expansion of existing enterprises.