THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) remains committed to the Philippine tourism sector and is keen on extending more assistance to improve the latter’s competitiveness.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Kelly Bird, ADB director for public management, financial sector and trade for Southeast Asia, said: “Certainly, we remain committed to the Department of Tourism [DOT] and the tourism industry. Now that they have a human-resources [HR] strategy, over the next several weeks, we will sit down with the DOT and talk about continuing assistance.”
The DOT’s HR development (HRD) strategy was unveiled on Tuesday during the Tourism Skills Forum on Improving Competitiveness. It is the agency’s blueprint to increase visitor arrivals by upgrading the skills of tourism workers.
The HRD strategy was conceived, even as the Canadian government, via the ADB, extended assistance to the tourism industry through the $7.1-million Philippine Improving Competitiveness in Tourism (PICTourism) project, which focuses on improving quality standards of tourism through interventions in the areas of quality assurance and accreditation of the hotels and resorts, skills development and regulatory review of the sector.
About $1.24 million of said technical assistance was channeled to some 50 tourism enterprises in four pilot provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Davao and Palawan—to improve the skills of their work force. Since the grant scheme’s start in 2014, some 7,550 employees have benefited from the program.
In a separate interview, DOT Undersecretary Maria Victoria V. Jasmin confirmed that they are seeking to roll out the skills grants program on a national scale, adding, “We are hoping to get additional funding, but it will still depend on Canada. We are preparing a project proposal to this effect.”
She declined to say the amount being proposed for the new assistance, explaining that “the HR strategy calls for investment from the [tourism] enterprises, as well, so it won’t be as much as the grant per enterprise.” Under the present program, tourism enterprises could tap as much as $100,000 under the grants scheme and were allowed to reapply as beneficiaries.
For his part, Bird said, “If we can support [the] DOT, we would want to go nationally, as well. It’s important to focus on the size, like Mindanao, in Palawan, where the prospects are very good, but also, we will not forget Luzon, as well.” However, any national rollout, he said, “won’t be immediate. It will take four to six years to do it.”
Tuesday’s forum served as a “graduation” of sorts for the beneficiaries, which participated in the skills development grant scheme.
Speaking at the same forum, Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder said the first tranche of grants, amounting to $850,000 was awarded to 26 recipients, benefiting some 5,200 employees of tourism enterprises, community-service organizations and industry associations. For the second phase of the program, some $400,000 in grants were extended to 23 tourism establishments.
The establishments who have benefited from the first phase of grants scheme were (Bohol) Amarela Resort Corp., Bohol Association of Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants, Metro Centre/OG Holdings Corp., South Palms Resort Panglao, The Bellevue Bohol; (Cebu) Alpa City Suites, Cebu Association of Tour Operators, Cebu Parklane International Hotel, Cebu White Sands Resorts and Spa, Olango Island Eco-Tour Association, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel; (Davao) Aquagem Travel and Tours, Eden Nature Park and Resort, Grand Menseng Hotel, Guide Union for Inbound Destinations and Ecotours, Microtel Inn and Suites Corp. Consortium, the Philippine Eagle Conservation Foundation, Samal City Resort Owners Association Inc., The Pinnacle Hotel and Suites, Villa Margarita Hotel Consortium, and Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao; (Palawan) Aziza Paradise Hotel, Calamianes Association of Tourism Establishments Inc. and the Puerto Princesa Tour Guide Association.
For the second phase, beneficiaries were: (Bohol) Amarela Resort Corp., Baclayon Ancestral House for New Development Initiatives, Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort, Cambugsay Tree Planters Association, Hacienda Primera Development Corp. (Amorita Resort) and South Palms Resort Panglao; (Cebu) Cebu Association of Tour Guides, Cebu White Sands Resort and Spa, Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel, Montebello Villa Hotel, Olango Island Eco-Tour Association, Quest Hotel and Conference Center Cebu; (Davao) Association of Human Resources Manager in the Hospitality Industry-Davao chapter, Grand Menseng Hotel, My Hotel Consortium, Philippine Eagle Conservation Foundation, Pinnacle Hotel and Suites, and Seda Abreeza Hotel; (Palawan) Calamianes Association of Tourism Establishments Inc., Coron Restaurant Consortium, Hacienda El Sol Development Corp. (Funny Lion Inn), Honda Bay Boatowners Association Inc. and Skylight Hotel Group Inc.
In his welcome remarks, Tourism Secretary Ramon R. Jimenez Jr. said, “The positive impact of the industry skills grants scheme has made at a personal and professional and product level more visible with the increasing numbers of beneficiaries for the past years. There can be no question in our minds that investment in our people pays dividends at every level.”