Our Department of Tourism (DOT) continues to energize the tourism industry with interesting events, now that domestic and international borders have opened. People all over the world are now raring to travel anywhere and everywhere, just to make up for whatever travel time they lost during the two-and-a-half years of Covid-related restrictions.
The DOT officers and staff are even busier now with new projects that, not only banner our country’s interesting destinations but also ensure the sustainability of our tourism industry.
PHIDEX
The DOT and Dive Philippines recently staged the Philippine International Dive Expo (PHIDEX) at the SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia. World-renowned divers, underwater photographers and dive media attended the popular event that showcased the beauty and diversity of the top diving destinations in the country.
The respective DOT regional offices where these popular diving destinations are located worked tirelessly in the last two-years-plus, when international borders were still closed, to further develop and enhance the attraction of these dive spots. Now that our country has reopened to foreign tourists, our dive industry is confidently poised to welcome dive enthusiasts from all over.
PHIDEX is the only Dive Show in the world that features a Dive Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) showcasing exhibition booths of dive resorts, centers, and dive gear and equipment. It also has a business-to-business (B2B) meeting program for local and international dive operators, conferences, and seminars. It ends with familiarization tours, for the guests, to the top and emerging dive destinations in the country.
With this year’s theme “Back Into The Blue: One With The Sea,” the well-attended three-day event featured educational talks, an underwater photography contest, and a raffle of exciting prizes. On hand to officially open the Expo were DOT officers: OIC-Division Chief Rowena Sorioso, Usec. Shalimar Tamano, Office of Product and Market Development Director Paulo Benito Tugbang, Philippine Airlines President and COO Capt. Stanley Ng, and Bohol Governor Aris Aumentado.
As early as now, the DOT is starting to prepare for next year’s edition, as it adds to the list of invitees more local and foreign divers so they can also experience our country’s rich and wonderful marine world. More information on PHIDEX 2023 is available at phidex@tourism.gov.ph or www.phidex.asia
Philippine Tourism Job Fair
In partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Department of Tourism (DOT) will soon stage the biggest job fair in the country, which is designed to help our tourism stakeholders recruit competent staff to run their respective businesses. Due to the pandemic, many of our tourism enterprises had to let go of their trained and experienced staff in order to minimize their operational losses. But, now that the Industry is surging towards the pre-pandemic volume of business, additional staff have to be hired. Unfortunately, those who were earlier let go have now found jobs abroad, thus, the need for this job fair.
With the theme “Trabaho, Turismo, Asenso!”, the event will be held at the SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia from September 22 to 24. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco announced that this event will be a multi-month campaign and will include venues not just in Metro Manila but also in Cebu and in Davao. This extended Job Fair will conclude on May 2023, coinciding with DOT’s 50th Founding Anniversary.
Another welcome development for our tourism workforce is Sec. Frasco’s report that, during her recent visit to Thailand, that country’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, asked her for help in recruiting Filipino staff for Thailand’s tourism enterprises which are also experiencing the same lack of competent staff as our stakeholders. Secretary Frasco is now liaising with our Department of Migrant Workers to address Thailand’s request.
According to DOT Asec. for Human Capital Development and Industry Manpower Development Maria Rica Bueno, this Job Fair will certainly provide the much-needed push in the revitalization of the Tourism Industry’s problem with human capital which was caused by the pandemic. More information on this landmark event is available at dot-oimd@tourism.gov.ph
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE
FROM SIR NORMAN WILSON: “As you get older, three things happen. The first is – your memory goes…and I can’t remember the other two.”
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