Preparing travel sector for boom
‘I am extremely delighted to be in the company of PHILTOA, which has been a strong and steadfast friend to the Department of Tourism and myself, since the beginning of the Marcos administration.’
To equip potential workforce in the tourism sector, the Philippine Tour Operators Association Inc., or PHILTOA, will work for collaborations with various government agencies on skills development.
Beginning this year, PHILTOA will focus on major endeavors towards uplifting the condition of member tour operators and travel agents, PHILTOA president Arjun Shroff said.
A primary goal is to hone future students who would want to work in the tourism industry.
“We will collaborate with the Department of Tourism, Commission on Higher Education, and the Tourism Promotions Board in enhancing the working programs so that we can hone people ready for work once they come out of the institution instead of retraining them after they graduate from their colleges or schools,” Shroff said.
Shroff said PHILTOA will come out with a six-month on-the-job training program to be presented to the said government agencies, including TESDA.
“We have set up a curriculum and discussed it with the DoT, as well as CHEd and TESDA. This program will be valuable to students, and they can immediately start their job in the tourism industry once they finish their studies,” Shroff told reporters on the sidelines of PHILTOA’s 1st general membership meeting in Makati City on Wednesday.
Apart from this, Shroff, being at the helm of PHILTOA, commits other key undertakings for this year, namely the continuity of the annual Philippine Travel Mart, embracing the digitization process, and product development.
Operators as key partners
Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who graced the same event as keynote speaker, described the important role of tour operators both in the recovery and success of the tourism industry.
“I am extremely delighted to be in the company of PHILTOA, which has been a strong and steadfast friend to the Department of Tourism and myself, since the beginning of the Marcos administration,” she said.
“The essential role of the Philippine Tour Operators Association cannot be overemphasized, and as Secretary of the Department of Tourism, I have seen this for myself, because PHILTOA — your members and officers, your Board of Directors, have always been there every step of the way, and in every single one of the new programs and innovations that was introduced to reinvigorate the industry,” she added.
Frasco underscored the DoT’s continued partnership with tour operators through shared tourism governance that is anchored on the approved National Tourism Development Plan 2023 to 2028, which serves as the country’s tourism industry blueprint.
“The presence today of travel agency owners, tour operators, general managers, directors of sales and marketing from hotels and resorts, senior managers, high-ranking officials from the aviation sector, and other tourism stakeholders from all over the Philippines, underscores the collaborative spirit that defines the Philippines tourism industry.”