Mountaineering and nature-based tourism are rapidly growing sectors in the Philippines, offering significant potential for inclusive economic development, cultural exchange, and environmental education. The country's mountainous regions—particularly in Mindanao—are emerging as premier destinations for eco-tourists, hikers, and adventure travelers. These upland areas are not only rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage but a real so vital to the country’s environmental integrity and local economies.
However, this growth brings with it a set of critical challenges: rising visitor traffic has led to increased safety risks, environmental degradation, and inconsistent tourism experiences—largely due to the absence of standardized and professionalized training for mountain guides. Many of these guides, especially from Indigenous and community-based backgrounds, operate with deep local knowledge but lack access to formal skills certification or alignment with national standards.
At present, training programs provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) exist independently of one another. These efforts, while valuable, are not harmonized and do not follow a unified framework. This fragmentation results in inconsistent outcomes and missed opportunities for professionalizing the sector. The lack of a national standard module or curriculum is a significant barrier to ensuring quality, safety, and sustainability in mountain tourism.