MANILA, Philippines — Since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented in Luzon last March 17, food and culture guide Ivan Man Dy had to defer walking tours.
“We are currently suspending all our tour activities until further notice.We’ll be running again soon in healthier times and with cleaner shoes,” Dy’s latest note on his website read.
Before the pandemic, Dy’s tour outfit, called “Old Manila Walks”, held thematic cultural and historical tours within the old neighborhood of the City of Manila.
Despite temporary halt of the walking tours, the tour guide said his team is using the quarantine period to learn new things on tourism and heritage.
“We’ve been trying to upgrade ourselves with skills and knowledge,” he said during the Re-imagining Food Tourism webinar late May.
Among the online seminars they are attending cover topics of tourism, business, food and business industry as well as health-related ones so that they can get insight and information once they start operating again.
Dy, for his part, said also shares his expertise on heritage.
In April, the Department of Tourism launched DOT Online Learning Series. It partnered with local and international organizations in providing webinars to tourism stakeholders to help them stay relevant amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tourism agency scheduled over 50 more virtual trainings until the end of this year.