BECTC SPEARHEADS TRAININGS in TOURISM AFFAIRS
By: Philippine Information Agency - Basco, Batanes

A seminar-workshop on Tourist Reception and Tour Guiding Techniques was jointly sponsored by the provincial government, Batanes Eco-Cultural Tourism Cooperative (BECTC) and Dept of Tourism at the HRTC Basco on May 21-23, 2002 following the 1st Batanes Tourism Industry and Heritage Conservation and Management Workshop last week.

Another training on CATERING SERVICES was conducted on May 22-24, 2002. Tourist reception and tour guiding co-operates with catering services in the tourism industry; thus a need for workshop to prepare Batanes in the industry.

Ahead will be seminar workshop for HOMESTAY OWNERS to train inn/accommodation managers, operators and owners to provide hospitable services to tourists.

Suggestively, training for mobility operators and drivers shall also be conducted: Tour Guiding, Catering, Accommodation and Mobility interwoven with quality services are contributory to the success of tourism industry. In the course of all these trainings, heritage and cultural preservation and environmental conservation play a very essential role.

Dept of Tourism Regional Director for Region II Blesilda Diwa paused many questions to assess our level of readiness. Would we be able to sustain tourism without sacrificing Ivatan culture? Will be able to cope with tourists who have a reason to come, to come back and a reason to stay longer? Regional Director Diwa said let's be apart of Cleanliness, Orderliness, Discipline and Enhancement of the lives of the community. Let everyone be a tourism promoter.

The workshop on tourist reception and tour guiding is to professionalize tour guiding and to equip tourism frontliners in providing tourist with quality services.

Mr. Medel Baytan, the resource speaker discussed Nature of Tour Reception and Guiding, duties and responsibility, guide to tour guides, communication skills, Basic procedures in check-in and check-outs; and briefed the participants on the general information about foreign tourists such as Europeans, Australians, Americans, Latins, Italians, Mexicans, Spanish, Japanese, Germans Chinese, Singaporeans, Arabs, Scandinavians, Swedish, Israelis, Bombay, Thais and Greeks to guide Ivatan tourists in the event that multi-nationals tour Batanes.

The group underwent mock tour in Basco town proper; and the participants taking turns in tour guiding all the way to the southern municipalities of Batan Island.

Group reporting on anticipated negative effects of tourism industry in Batanes, inovations that Ivatans could do for tourism industry and identifying old destinations that could be left conserved was done at the White Beach, Huhmuren between Ivana and Mahatao.

The workshop inspired the participants to put up an association which was unanimously named IVATAN TOUR GUIDES ASSOCIATION and elected officers are: President, Eduardo Delfin; vice-pres, Rogers Amboy; Secretary, Necitas Alconis; Treasurer, Florence Cielo; Auditor, Nelda Cielo; PRO, Demetrius Narag and Representatives by municipality are: Romy Merida, Basco; Nimfa Doplito, Mahatao; Dan Esdicul, Ivana; Angelita Vargas, Uyugan; Servlino Alavado, Sabtang and Melinda Cano, Itbayat.

KUDOS to BECTC manager Juliet P. Cataluna for the series of trainings she arranged and managed. We pledge full support to the sponsors and implementors.