On the Dot
By Helen J. Camarista

Putting premium on DOT accreditation
( 2 nd of a series)

The Department of Tourism Region VI under the leadership of Director Edwin G. Trompeta will be conducting another tour guiding seminar before the year 2005 ends, preferably in the month of October. This year's tour guiding seminar is one of the many forms of support extended by the DOT Region VI to better prepare Iloilo and Guimaras for the Experience Iloilo and Guimaras campaign.

The last two trainings this office conducted were in 1996 and 2001. The first one was a full-length one month training attended by prospective professional tour guides from as far as Cebu. The last one was an abbreviated version for 16 days which included a Mabuhay Host Seminar. Since it was a shorter version of the original, the tour guide training in 2001 required proof of at least satisfactory rating in the on-the job-training (OJT). This should be undertaken within six months after the formal training. Therefore, successful completion of the 16-day rigid training with two major examinations and practical tests to boot did not make the trainee ready for licensing by the local government unit in the area where he/she operates. His/Her performance in the field had yet to be tested within the next six months as he had to actually guide a tour group. The guide's performance in that particular tour had to be certified by the tour operator /organizer who personally supervised the tour.

Getting licensed by the city/municipal government of the area where the tour guide operates and accredited by Department of Tourism are the last steps toward professionalization of the tour guiding job.

Let us re-emphasize that successful completion of the DOT training alone does not make a tour guide truly professional unless he has a license and accreditation to show for his being so. On the other hand, those who guide tours without having been trained by the DOT or an accredited training institution and without license from the appropriate LGU and accreditation by the Department of Tourism are impostors who can make destinations less attractive. Unwittingly, they destroy tourist destinations as they fall prey to the voracious desire of tour operators/organizers to widen their margin of profit by paying these incompetent amateurs guide fees way below industry standard even though incoming tour groups pay the right amount or even more for the services of professional tour guides. And what do the tourists get? What else but tour guides who behave more like tourists than guides, give so much premium to silence all the way or reading from notes while tours are in progress, deliver one-liner on site and, on a countryside tour, the best that they can do is look at the carabao with sympathy. Funny? Not quite especially for a destination that wishes to be competitive.

(To be continued)

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Kalakbay Awards 2005

The search is on for Kalakbay 2005 awardees. Kalakbay stands for Kasama sa Lakbay Kaunlaran ng Bayan. It is the Philippine Tourism Awards spearheaded by the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation.

The Kalakbay Awards was initiated in 1989. It aims to develop tourism consciousness in the country by seeking to recognize local and international corporate entities and individuals in the industry who have excelled in management performance and tourism service. These are those who have contributed immeasurably to the growth of the industry and to the prestige of the institutions they represent. The awardees of Kalakbay, through their seasoned expertise, have innovatively and creatively projected Philippine lifestyle and the Filipino brand of hospitality. The award will serve to motivate entities and individuals to raise the levels of standard of the various services they offer.

The Kalakbay Awards come in seven categories – Institutional, Creative, Individual, Destination, Special, Honorary Ambassadors of Tourism and Lifetime Achievement .

Institutional Awards are presented to those entities considered the best in their respective area in terms of expertise, professionalism and quality of facilities and services.They include Hotel of the Year, Special Accommodation Facility of the Year, Resort of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Tour Operator of the Year, Foreign Travel Agent of the Year, Airline of the Year, Tourist Transport Operator of the Year, Inter-Island Shipping Line of the Year, Event of the Year and Tourism Council of the Year.

(To be continued)