Cebu tour guiding video completed

CEBU, Philippines - The Tourism Educators, Advocates and Movers (Team-Cebu)  has completed its audio-visual presentation (AVP) in tour guiding for Cebu that will be introduced by the Cebu provincial and city governments soon.

Team-Cebu founder Bobby Lim Joseph announced that the P160,000 worth of raw AVP will be the pilot tour guiding model presentation that will be used nationwide soon and to be translated in different languages.

After the raw copy will be approved by the Cebu Provincial Office, through Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, and also through Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Joseph said it will also be presented to Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez.

Verbally, Jimenez had already expressed his support on the private sector-led initiative; however, if the tourism agency will adopt this model, it will be officially presented to DOT after getting approval from the local government units in Cebu.

The AVP, which does not only feature the sun and sand attractions in Cebu but also made emphasis on the rich culture and heritage of the province,  will be translated initially in over 20 languages, such as Korean, Japanese, Mandarin-Chinese, German, French, Arabic and Spanish, among others.

Joseph said the team will also meet up with the tour guides in Cebu and will first select the best tour guides who will be given this video after it will be reproduced in DVD form or saved in flash drives, copies of which will be eventually sold to tourists.

Joseph expressed confidence of Cebu’s huge potential to excel in tourism more than any other destination 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.

After it has gotten support from the local and national governments, Joseph is confident that more institutions will give its support in terms of funding the production of the improved tour guiding service in Cebu, which will be the first in the Philippines.

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 Agencies (Naitas).

Although, there is already an existing script for the history of Cebu’s famous landmarks, Joseph said the project will also try to improve and update the facts by working closely with National Historical Commission and the LGUs.

Aside from providing easier work for tour guides, this AVP on tour guiding will also serve as reference for schools, specifically those that are offering tourism-related courses, he said. /JMD (FREEMAN)