Tourism industry is here and now! Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. has been very effective in bringing investors to Negros Occidental. (His best effort has resulted to the creation of Negros Island Region.) Mayor Monico Puentevella believes that Bacolod is booming. Local and foreign tourists are coming to us to experience what we can offer.
Our local tour operators are trying to handle the demand. The tourism pillars are doing their best to position their right foot forward. Yes, tourists are here but we lack excellent tour guides. It’s funny to note that some local operators have to avail (only) of the services of graduating students in Tourism and Hospitality Management Classes.
We want to expose our students to the challenge in the field of tourism, but we cannot give our high-end visitors to them (investors, researchers, travel writers, and business executives). The Local Government Support Program for Local Economic Development involving Bacolod-Talisay-Silay Tourism Circuit (together with the BTS mayors) is planning to have a refresher course for tour guides, and to those who plan to be serious tour guides.
It is expected that our Provincial Government and the Department of Tourism in Western Visayas under Director Helen Catalbas will assist this project which we plan to have in October (after the Atop Congress in Davao City). The core group is already preparing a module and forming a professorial group to handle the task.
A tour guide for Negros is not only an ambassador of Negros tourism if he is in front of tourists. He is a resource person who can explain best the meaning of “Sugar and More.” This guy has no choice but to be an expert in tourism, art, culture, trade, commerce, and industry. Before the start of the tour, the guests should have already the pulse of what is exciting and fun in Negros.
Tourism industry should be understood very well. It is now the task of the tour guide to prove that the tourists should be really here and not somewhere else. Communication skills are very important (diction, pronunciation, enunciation, plus a natural smiling face). Your English should be perfect (or at least near perfect). Speak like a United Nations spokesman. Appeal to emotion and reason. Sell Negros as if there is no tomorrow.
Internalize work values and effective customer service. Convince yourself that what you are selling is the best. Remember, the customer is always right. Remember also that what you are giving him is not just right but excellent. We can start all these through hard preparations. A tour guide has to light up his torch in research, preparation of rousing materials, and wonderful to relate (mirabile dictum) tour commentaries.
There should be coordination in these awe-inspiring schemes (tour operators, tour coordinators, tour guides, and other contact persons). Other things should be considered: child-wise tourism (rights of the children and sexploitation), gender and development. It cannot be denied that in our industry we have commercial sex workers. This should be handled with great caution (and vigilance).
I always believe that a tour guide should be master in Philippine history (not just his story). History is the backbone of our civilization. A tour guide should not be a campaign manager of any politician but he has to know his government structure and the hot political issues of the day. (Be careful on what is hot.) Some tourists are investors and they may have questions on our economy. Is the Philippines the “Tiger of Asia”? What is booming in Bacolod? Be ready to explain our sustainable tourism.
We will review our tour guiding techniques. There are new techniques to learn. (Old techniques can be improved.) New graduates can always learn from the “old guards.” The “old guards” will be introduced to the social media and tourism E-Tech using space technology. In tourism, there are things to be done and not to be done. We are still biblical. “Do not covet what is not yours.”
Tour operation cycle requires knowledge of simple accounting, data gathering, statistical presentation, and correct interpretation of your dossier. Tourism industry is a “weather industry.” Tour guides should have the acumen of weathermen. We cannot sell sunshine at Sipalay if it is raining. We cannot offer for sale folklore in Hacienda Adela if our folklorist is not there.