When Ivan Man Dy began offering walking tours of Manila in 2005, he wasn’t building a business plan—he was pursuing a passion. Twenty years later, Old Manila Walks has become a cultural institution, celebrating two decades of storytelling, advocacy, and immersive heritage education.
“I grew up in a historic neighborhood of Binondo in Manila so I was surrounded with a lot of history: heritage buildings, old trades, historic streets, different communities,” Ivan told Financial Adviser. “That piqued my interest in cultural heritage—its manifestations, applications, strengths and threats.”
That early exposure to Manila’s layered past led Ivan to volunteer as a museum worker and heritage activist. But it was storytelling—narrating the hidden stories of old streets and forgotten places—that gave him the most purpose. He began conducting walking tours on weekends while working full-time at his father’s trading business.
“I actually worked at my dad’s trading business for several years doing the tours on the side,” Ivan recalled. “My big break came in 2005 when I got a full-page feature from the Philippine Daily Inquirer together with [the] late Carlos Celdran.”
That article created a wave of interest in heritage tours, and the demand quickly became too big for a part-time project. Ivan decided to make a leap. “The popularity and demand of our tour services became so much that I eventually focused on it as a trade,” he said.
Now, in 2025, Old Manila Walks marks 20 years of educating locals and tourists alike about the rich, often overlooked stories that shape the Philippine capital. It’s not just tourism—Ivan sees the business as a form of advocacy through experience.
“Old Manila Walks and Tours is the result of my passion with Manila’s cultural heritage; our interest in tourism and belief that education is a basic tool in the heritage conservation advocacy,” he explained.
From Intramuros to Chinatown, Ivan has created curated routes that dive into architecture, community histories, colonial legacies, and local flavors. Every tour is designed not just to entertain, but to enlighten.
While the early years were manageable, the growth brought challenges—especially when scaling a business built on personal interaction.
“As a business that started largely on personal skills, it was surprisingly (thankfully) an easy start,” Ivan said. “The challenges came as the demand for our tour services thrived. A lot of them had to do with things that were beyond our control that we just had to adjust to.”
Despite these hurdles, he never lost sight of the purpose behind the project. Heritage, for Ivan, isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about making it relevant and accessible to future generations.
When asked if he had always seen himself in this line of work, his answer is humble and honest: “No I did not. Life just happened.”
Two decades in, Ivan has built more than just a business—he’s built a legacy of cultural stewardship, one that continues to inspire awareness and pride in Filipino identity.
If not for Old Manila Walks, Ivan imagines he might have ended up in traditional trade. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Maybe doing entrepreneurship at its most traditional form—buying, selling.”
Instead, he followed his curiosity. And in doing so, Ivan Man Dy turned a love for heritage into a movement that has educated thousands—one walk at a time.
