PANGASINAN — Current and prospective tour guides of the Pangasinan Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office (PTCAO) tour guides convened on Wednesday, August 26, for a meaningful activity aimed to develop the office’s tour guiding services.
The in-house session, titled for the time being as the ‘Tour Guiding Service Development (TGSD) activity,’ gathered a total of 19 employees of the PTCAO at El Jardine, under the collective drive to improve upon their tour guiding capacities.
Spearheaded by the Tourism Services and Promotions Division, the event pushed for the enhancement of knowledge and further development of practical skills, through a series of lectures from in-house speakers and activities designed to improve their tour guiding capacities.
The activity commenced with opening remarks from PTCAO Head Ms. Maria Luisa Amor-Elduayan wherein she reiterated the importance of the tour guiding service—especially that which is offered at the Capitol.
The first half of the event, led by PTCAO Project Development Officer III, Mr. Nathaniel Joel Daroy, was composed of a deep, comprehensive discussion that tackled the culture and heritage of Pangasinan. Throughout the lecture, Mr. Daroy underscored the significance of preserving culture (whether tangible or intangible), and maintaining cultural authenticity amidst a tourist-driven economy.
Following this was a set of lectures that recollected and summarized the learnings imparted during the month-long 2026 Regional Tour Guiding Training (RTGT) organized by the Department of Tourism – Region I in June.
The first of these lectures, conducted by TGSD Secretariat Ms. Ivy Mae Idos, sought to help in tailoring services according to the tastes of the 21st century tourist who seeks authentic experiences. And for uniform understanding of its roles and ideal characteristics, she defined the 21st century tour guide as someone who prioritizes the safety and comfort of their guests, whilst maintaining respect and sensitivity to diverse cultures.
Next, TGSD Program Head Mr. Mykhael Tyrone Ceralde tackled the subject of commentary development wherein the purpose, types and characteristics of effective commentary were highlighted. He also underscored the significance of logical thought organization and proactive engagement in creating meaningful tour experiences. Finally, through the recollection of experiences and reiteration of lessons from the 2026 RTGT, shared practical guiding techniques to help the participants in navigating the role of a tour guide in real-life situations.
These lectures culminated in a practical exercise where the participants’ application of their newly-acquired knowledge and techniques were put to test through 3-minute commentaries. Each performance was assessed and evaluated by Ms. Amor-Elduayan and Mr. Daroy, who provided comments for the improvement of their future commentaries.
A ceremony was conducted after—awarding a certificate of appreciation to Mr. Daroy for imparting his expertise during the event, and a certificate of participation to the PTCAO employees for successfully completing the event.
Through inspiring words from Ms. Amor-Elduayan, the first TGSD activity was concluded with the hope of more sessions to come.
