Not until the second Tourism Educators Congress held last Monday, Sept. 19 at the Negros Oriental Convention Center did people realize fully well that, despite what some sectors say, the tourism industry is a booming enterprise and offers various job and business opportunities . This was gleaned from the approximately one thousand faculty and students in attendance representing at least seven universities and colleges in Dumaguete that offer baccalaureate degrees in tourism, hotel and restaurant management, or hospitality management.
It was also an opportune time to formally open the provincial Tourism Week, which ran until Friday, Sept. 23 anchored on the theme “Tourism: Linking Cultures” in consonance with the theme for World Tourism Day on Sept. 27. Spearheaded by the newly organized Tourism Educators Council of Negros Oriental, it was supported by the Provincial Tourism Office under Myla Mae Bromo Abellana and the Regional Tourism Office under Regional Director Rowena Lu Montecillo.
Keynoting the half-day congress was Tourism Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination & Resource Generation Atty. Maria Victoria Jasmin who exhorted that tourism is not just about numbers, but more so the quality of a locality’s products, travel experience, and service. Confessing that she has been to Negros Oriental at least three times this year to sample what the province could offer, she said she is confident to include the province in the tourism map, breaking barriers posed by Cebu and Bohol as major tourist destinations. “I can say this for a fact because I know what I am talking about and I have actually been there,” enthused Atty. Jasmin, who shared that she has done some diving expedition in Dauin, braved violent winds and the rough sea on the way to Apo Island, explored Lake Balanan, admired the exotic birds found in the Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao, tried to look for the famous dolphins in Bais City, and sampled such signature delicacies like sans rival and fried ice cream.
On the other hand, despite the many things the country has to offer in terms of natural and human resources, she lamented that the Philippines still remains to be a poor sixth in terms of tourist arrivals, coming after Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Despite the high literacy rate that the country enjoys coupled with a skilled labor force, our workers are still less competitive than their counterparts. Because of low labor supply as against the demands of the market, there is a tendency towards employment mismatch. “Most schools are supply-driven, rather than demand-driven, and our educational system may not be able to deliver,” she added. The need for specialized competencies among graduates is also encouraged as well as work experience steeped with ethics and values.
Atty. Jasmin expounded that the Department of Tourism has formulated a five-year Tourism Development Plan that includes developing 21 cluster destinations and formulating implementing guidelines for R.A. 9593, otherwise known as the Tourism Act of 2009, thus, putting tourism to a new level as it partners with the private sector. “We aim at doubling tourist arrivals by 2016, from 3.2 million this year to about 6 million. With the country’s gross domestic product pegged at $5 billion, we are targeting at least $18 billion in tourist receipts by 2016. By then, some 3 million new jobs would have been created,” she explained.
On hand to welcome the delegates was Gov. Roel Degamo who lauded the efforts of the private sector, specifically the academe, in providing the training and tutelage to the future members of the tourism industry. Reactors who were practitioners likewise gave their insights and shared their experiences, namely Mariant Escaño Villegas, former chair of the Regional Tourism Council and a former public official and Macrina Ramos Fuentes, president of the Negros Oriental Association of Travel and Tours Agencies.
Among the activities held at the Sidlakang Negros Village this week were an acoustic night, cultural night presentation, inter-school tourism quiz bowl, inter-school flairtending competition, and the Tourism Ambassadors competition. (Ma. Cecilia Genove)