DOT eyes more senior citizen tour guide training after pilot run

The Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco announced during the orientation of the Community Tour Guiding Seminar for Senior Citizens at Centro Intramuros that they plan to facilitate more training for senior citizens following the completion of the pilot run.

Set to be completed by Oct. 2, the initial batch, which consists of 30 senior citizens, aged 60 and older, has been undergoing 56-hour training since Sept. 24.

“Simula palang ito, this is just the start of what we foresee as a very promising program for our seniors,” said Frasco in an interview, highlighting the new livelihood opportunities the initiative will open for the elderly. “The first phase is their training to be tour guides here in Intramuros. The next few phases will include those in other destinations in the Philippines.”

The 7-Day Community Tour Guiding Training will conclude in an individual tour guiding demonstration, critiquing and examination, and those who pass will advance to the DOT’s accreditation process.

“We will ensure, in our partnership with the Intramuros Administration, that their trainings will have results and that they will have engagements as tour guides in Intramuros,” the secretary added.

In his welcome remarks, National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) NCR Regional Director Lt. Col. August Anthony Balute praised the participants for their dedication and emphasized their important contribution to strengthening the tourism sector.

Certified senior community tour guides for Intramuros will serve as storytellers, tasked with sharing the richness of Philippine history and heritage and inspiring pride in the culture among younger generations.

The initiative for senior citizens is a pilot program in partnership with the NCSC through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last May 21.

Frasco also noted that the DOT is actively pushing for the Magna Carta for Tourism Workers, which seeks to institutionalize benefits for tourism frontliners.

The program also forms part of the Tourism Month celebration.