Realizing its bid to promote inclusivity in the country’s tourism industry, the Department of Tourism welcomed senior citizens who still want to stretch their muscles and work as tour guides in the Walled City of Intramuros, Manila.

On Wednesday, 30 senior citizens, ages 60 and up, went through tour guide orientation, being the first batch of the Community Tour Guiding Seminar for Senior Citizens program of the DoT.

“The DoT program is in partnership with the National Commission on Senior Citizens. This is just the start of what we foresee as a very promising program for our seniors. The first phase is their training to be tour guides here in Intramuros. The next few phases will include those in other destinations in the Philippines,” said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco in an interview on Wednesday, at the sidelines of the launch of the Tourism Start Up Challenge 2025, in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education.

The first batch, if they pass the training, will be DoT-accredited tour guides, arming them to have a gainful and stable livelihood.

“We will ensure, in our partnership with the Intramuros Administration, that their trainings will have results and that they will have engagements as tour guides in Intramuros,” she added, adding that the DoT is continuously advocating for Magna Carta for Tourism Workers to provide institutionalized benefits, which include tourism front-liners.

Honoring kutseros

During the same event, Secretary Frasco also took time to honor kutseros (coachmen) of Intramuros and Luneta Park by giving them tourist guide kits, P50,000 worth of health insurance, and cash incentives, all coming from her pocket and her better half, Cebu Representative Duke Frasco.

“We thank you for being the living proof that the country’s history is thriving in Intramuros and Rizal Park. Calesas are part of being Filipino. And for your every journey carrying local and international tourists, you all bear our culture and heritage,” she told kutseros, who attended the gathering.

Frasco maintained that tourism is not only about tourists arriving in the country, “but a nation building, about building communities with a livelihood and employment opportunities that tourists bring to our destinations,” the reason why tourism front-liners, including kutseros, are an integral part of the country’s tourism industry.

Calesa tours are being offered by Intramuros Administration to foreign and local tourists who want to roam the Walled City and Rizal Park, with rates ranging from P800 to P1000, good for 6 persons.

Start-up challenge

Frasco also launched the Tourism Start-Up Challenge, a convergence project of the Department of Tourism and the Commission on Higher Education, providing a platform for students enrolled in higher education institutions (HEIs) to propose programs and projects aligned with the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP), to be funded and implemented.

It is an annual nationwide competition among students enrolled in HEIs, whereby theme-based proposals on innovative tourism-related programs and projects based on the NTDP are presented, evaluated, and eventually chosen for funding and implementation under the Higher Education Development Fund.

Proposals and entries that can contribute to the NTDP identified priorities as presented in the 7-point agenda of the DOT should tackle the following: improving tourism infrastructure and accessibility; cohesive and comprehensive digitalization and connectivity; enhancement of overall tourist experience; equalization of tourism product development and promotion; diversification of portfolio through multi-dimensional tourism; maximization of domestic tourism; and strengthening tourism governance through close collaboration with local government units and stakeholders.

Moreover, the proposals must include at least one of the six pillars of the grant priority areas, namely facilities and demo labs, immersion and career development, technology innovation and digitalization, start-up and incubation centers, research and development, and tourism education.

The call for proposals will be open from 24 September to 31 October 2025, and interested applicants can submit their proposals to the CHED Regional Offices.