BACOLOD City – This city needs more tour guides, according to Department of Tourism regional director Helen Catalbas.
Catalbas attended the 2018 MICECON (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits/Events Conference) here on Thursday.
Stressing the importance of tour guides, Catalbas said they are tourism front-liners “responsible for creating the [tourists’] first and last impression of a place.”
This year’s three-day MICECON, which started Tuesday, aims to establish the Philippines’ standing as a preferred destination for MICE, one of the major contributors to tourism growth.
Councilor Em Ang agreed with Catalbas. “We still lack sufficient trained and accredited tour guides,” she said.
“Nagapanglaghap kita permi. Kon may dalagku kita nga events, ginakulang kita sang tour guides,” stressed the chairwoman of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on tourism.
Bacolod must invest not solely in tourism facilities but in human resources as well, the councilor said.
“If we are to compete with other LGUs (local government units) and other destinations, we have to scale up our manpower,” she said.
As one of its efforts in enhancing the quality of local tourism infrastructures, the city government was planning to build a P165-million museum and auditorium.
“We will build a coliseum that can hold an audience of 12,000,” Mayor Evelio Leonardia had said.
Catalbas rated Bacolod’s hosting of the MICECON “8 out of 10.”
“I wouldn’t say we are perfect but we have delivered what is expected,” she said.
Catalbas noted the “around 3,000” available rooms in accommodation establishments, which she said were “good for medium-scale conventions and meetings.”
The MICECON was organized by the Tourism Promotions Board, the marketing arm of the Tourism department.
Ang was glad with the rating that the Tourism department’s regional director gave.
“We were given just two months to prepare” for the MICECON, she said.
“We were informed just in September, and we were very busy because in October we had the 80th Charter [Day], the MassKara Festival, the arrival of President Rodrigo Duterte,” among other events, she said.
“And yet we were able to pull off the hosting of the MICECON 2018,” said Ang. “We are happy since the delegates were satisfied.”/PN
