Continuous skills training among workers and other stakeholders as well as introduction of new products and activities will further boost tourism in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

“Our resolve is anchored on a collaborative development environment ensuring that stakeholders are well informed of the direction and potentials,” Department of Tourism-CAR Director Jovita Ganongan said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press briefing here Tuesday.

For the first semester of 2024, a total of 3,300 workers have undergone different trainings conducted by the DOT-CAR and its partner organizations, local government units and stakeholders to ensure that the sector will be able to provide the best service.

Among the training are community guiding, cookery, front office operation, barista, eco-tourism guiding, basic life support, festival management and tourism-oriented security.

Ganongan said that in 2023, the region surpassed its assigned 6,000 trained tourism workers’ goal.

There are also dialogues among the private sector, local chief executives, local legislative bodies and tourism officers to harmonize tourism development, improve database and determine the needs for possible development and funding.

“We need to harmonize our efforts so that we can invite more tourists to visit the other existing and emerging destinations,” she explained.

Last year, the region recorded 1.6 million tourist arrivals, up from the 1.28 million in the previous year. About 1.2 million tourists visited Baguio City.

In 2019, tourist arrivals reached more than 2 million.

“We are on the right track to reach our pre-pandemic numbers of two million. We also aim to improve other destinations in the region to entice more tourists,” Ganongan said.

New offerings

Ganongan said they are also tapping the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to help make a module for wellness tourism.

She noted that the region is already providing wellness tourism by providing venues to commune with nature, immerse with people and learn new cultures.

Aldrin Bahit of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – Cordillera said they are confident the region will surpass its pre-pandemic tourism receipts of PHP10.5 billion.

“In 2022, when there were still a lot of restrictions to movement and places, we recorded PHP9 billion. The trend is uphill that is why we are confident that we can surpass the record we had before the pandemic for this year,” he said.

PSA-CAR data show that transportation topped the list of tourist expenditures in 2022, followed by accommodation, use of travel agencies, food and beverage, shopping, and entertainment.

Upskilling

Ganongan said the scholarships in TESDA tourism programs are divided per province based on needs — Abra has four slots; Apayao, 54; Baguio City, 158; Benguet, 170; Ifugao, 43; Kalinga, 24; and Mountain Province, 40.

Among the courses covered by the scholarship are training for barista to complement the region’s one town, one product, which is coffee; and foreign language to enable the region to have communicators for other languages as the Cordillera targets more foreign tourists.

French, Europeans and Koreans frequent Sagada in Mountain Province and Banaue in Ifugao.

Other skills training are front office operation, bread and pastry-making, event management, tour guiding, food and beverage, housekeeping and bartending.

DOT and TESDA officials likewise signed a memorandum of agreement that will support tourism education and skills training. (PNA)