Why tourism keeps on improving

MANILA, Philippines - Despite a weak global economy, the Philippines climbed the ranks of the most tourist-friendly countries, rising by eight notches to rank 74th among 141 economies assessed by the World Economic Forum.

In 2011,  the Philippines was 94th in the WEF report.  In Asia-Pacific, it ranked 14th out of 23 countries, besting its peers in the Asean.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said program convergence with other government agencies, local government units and private sector organizations was one of the factors that contributed to this tourism resurgence.

Labor laws-compliant tourist destination

“I believe our convergence program is one of the contributing factors to this,” said Baldoz who, last year, inaugurated the full implementation of the DOLE’s new Labor Laws Compliance System.

Under the system,  DOLE conducted joint assessments of tourism establishments around the country to ensure their compliance with general labor and occupational safety and health standards, including anti-child labor laws.

Those found compliant are awarded Certificates of Compliance and the tourist destinations are declared Labor Laws-Compliant zones.

“This is the DOLE’s support to the government’s tourism development efforts, and part of our decent work agenda. We know that tourists, especially those coming from affluent countries, are mindful that business establishments catering to visitors are paying their workers correct wages and benefits and that they are safe and healthy in their respective workplaces,” Baldoz noted.

So far, the DOLE has declared five tourist destinations labor laws-compliant—Siargao, Boracay, Guimaras, Camiguin, and Dinagat. Markers were installed in these tourist spots, proclaiming them labor laws-compliant after they passed a tripartite-led joint assessment.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez said this is good for visitors, workers and their employers.

A service quality nation

On productivity, the NWPC has adopted the value-chain approach to secure competitive advantage in the tourism sector, making sure that businesses creating products and providing services for tourists would undergo its  Service Quality (SQ) training program.

“Last year, the NWPC, through the RTWPBs, provided SQ training to 538 firms nationwide, benefiting 1,411 workers,” Baldoz said.

“What was good in these trainings was that participants committed to provide quality service to their clients,” she said.

Baldoz cited the Pier to Port Project (P2P) in Western Visayas, where the RTWPB, also in cooperation with the LGUs, national government agencies, and private sector firms sought to enhance the quality of tourist services.

“The project was in response to the growing number of visitors in the region’s most attractive islands. Its ultimate goal was to address the concerns of key tourism stakeholders in Boracay and Guimaras,” Baldoz said.

In Caraga, the change in the quality of service is most palpable at the Butuan City Airport, where workers, from security guards to luggage handlers, greet disembarking passengers with a courteous smile and efficient services.

“Our RTWPB in Caraga had worked with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and the City Government of Butuan in understanding errors in service quality and customer complaints which served as basis for the conduct of a series of training to address these problems. The airport has been transformed and it is now more comfortable and customer-friendly,” Baldoz said.

Service Quality Seal of Recognition

In April this year, the NWPC bestowed the Service Quality Seal of Recognition to three tourist establishments in the Bicol region -- Hotel St. Ellis, La Piazza Hotel and Convention Center, and Ninong’s Hotel.

The SQ Seal of Recognition is awarded to tourist establishments that are successful in sustaining their SQ Productivity Improvement Program, a quality management improvement system, as a means to ensure service quality.

Creating productivity champions and specialists

To strengthen its convergence program, the DOLE has expanded its training collaboration with Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Polytechnic International. “In 2014, we have produced five batches of productivity champions and specialists which included participants from the Departments of Agriculture, Science and Technology, and Tourism, as well as social partners from the ECOP, FFCCCII, PALSCON, TUCP, and FFW from the second round of training in Singapore under our partnership with the Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Polytechnic,” Baldoz said.

Wage advisories on tourism

In line with the full implementation of the Two-Tiered Wage System, the NWPC’s regional boards have issued industry-specific advisories to guide workers and enterprises in developing and implementing productivity-based incentive schemes over and above the mandatory minimum wage.

Sustainability

Baldoz said the key to continually improve the Philippines’ tourism competitiveness is to ensure the sustainability of the SQ training program.

“Our tourism workers and employers have to focus on building sustainable enterprises and harnessing workplace cooperation by being conscious every day that service quality is what global visitors are also looking for, and not just the beauty of a place,” Baldoz said.

To build on the gains already achieved, the NWPC has partnered with the International Labor Organization to implement the Greener Business Asia-Green Me training program which relies on the use of environment-friendly resources and work processes.

Baldoz expressed confidence that tourist arrivals would continue to increase as tourism products and services continue to evolve.