Cebu to pioneer video presentationon tour guiding

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu will be pioneering the creation of an Audio-Visual-Presentation (AVP) on Tour Guiding in different languages to help tour guides master their skills.

After accepting his award as “Tourism Man of the Year” by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), tourism advocate and prime mover Bobby Lim Joseph vowed to give P500 thousand for this purpose, although the entire project would cost at least P15 million.

Joseph said he will initiate the creation of the project by calling the support of the Cebu tourism stakeholders from the academe, government, and the private sector.

While Cebu is getting foreign visitors from all over the world, it is imperative that the province has to create a unified AVP on Tour Guiding, involving initially the famous landmarks of Cebu, in cooperation with the National Historical Commission.

“This has been done in famous destinations abroad. It’s time for Cebu to do this,” said Joseph in an interview.

This project is just one of the series of programs that Joseph has been introducing in Cebu, the reason why he was hailed as “Tourism Man of the Year” in Cebu.

Joseph expressed confidence of Cebu’s huge potential to excel in tourism, more any other destinations in the Philippines. He said it is high time that the private sector will have to make initiatives and start helping the government by creating programs, and projects that will further push Cebu to its potential in tourism advantage.

He believes that Cebu could hit the six million tourist arrivals in short term, specifically if it were to make double efforts and promotion in attracting the international and local MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition) markets.

The creation of the AVP on Tour Guiding he said will put Cebu ahead of the other destinations in the Philippines, thereby sustaining its position as the “center for tourism” in the Philippines.

If this project works, he said other destinations in the country may follow suit, said Joseph who is also the chairman of the National Association of Independent Travel Agents (Naitas).

Joseph said he will lead in the creation of the project, as he has already been talking with leaders in the tourism sector in Cebu, including the Cebu provincial government, of which Joseph is also one of the tourism consultants.

In the next 75 days, he said will be start the project his personal seed money of P500 thousand, and will then seek support from other funding institutions, like PAGCOR, local government units, the private sector , among others.

Meanwhile, Joseph said that Cebu’s tourism promotion programs aimed at pushing its potential should be sustained, regardless of who is leading in the local government units (LGUs). He added that political issues, should not hamper the development of tourism, specifically for Cebu that potential is evident.

Aside from the AVP on Tour Guiding, Joseph also plans to improve the quality of skills in the tourism manpower in Cebu, by partnering with the academe sector and link them closely with the stakeholders.

Although, Joseph through his program League of tourism Students, had been helping tourism students to develop the “best practice” and good “culture of tourism’ to students, said that more could be done if a unified efforts from across the tourism sector here will be started.

Together with Joseph, tourism capitalist Jay Aldeguer was also recognized as “Tourism Man of the Year” by the CCCI, during the recently concluded “Tourism Congress”, which was one of the flaship events of the Cebu Business Month (CBM 2012), which culminated last year.  (FREEMAN)