Cebu needs ESL facilities to attract education tourists

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu is bound to attract least 30 thousand to 40 thousand education-tourists every month, if facilities for ESL (English as Second Language) will be properly established in the province.

Cebu Business Club (CBC) president Gordon Alan "Dondi" P. Joseph, expressed optimism that this goal will be met if the Cebu Hub for English Excellence (CHELE) will be able to take off as an advocacy group and develop good standardization of ESL in Cebu, thereby attracting investors to put up good ESL establishments in Cebu.

Joseph said Cebu has huge potential to hit at least 30 thousand education-tourists a month, if Cebu players will be able to work together in developing the "education tourism" edge.

Record showed that at present, Cebu registered 10 thousand (or less) tourists, who take up ESL in Cebu a year. Most of them are Koreans. However, Joseph said if big facilities will be built and standard will be properly set up, attracting thousands of ESL students a months can be easily achieved.

Joseph projected, the education-tourism will be able to further turn-around the tourism figures for Cebu starting next year, if both private and government sectors will pull their hands together in focusing this potential.

In the middle of this year, a group of industry stakeholders including universities owners, businessmen, established the CHELE.

CHELE is a brainchild of Cebu Leads Foundation, of which members are influential businessmen in Cebu, whose passion to formalize and develop the province potential in attracting ESL students worldwide.

One of the flagship programs that will be started by CHELE was the successful International Conference on TESOL (Teaching English to speakers of other languages) held in August this year.

According to CHELE president president Bunny Pages said the group will coordinate with TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in order to establish the credibility of Cebu as an ESL destination in the world.

CBC, as well as the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) earlier expressed their confidence that Cebu will be able to take off in attracting education-tourists not only from Korea, but other countries in the world, where English is not their "native tongue".

The target nationalities are the Chinese, Europeans, Japanese, among others.

According to Joseph, this number is expected to triple if a formal body will be created to promote this product to the international market, while providing a good policy and programs that encourage other nationalities to consider Cebu as their preferred ESL site.

Joseph said Cebu also needs to provide good and internationally at par ESL facilities, with proper accreditation from international accreditation bodies.

There is a need for Cebu to formalize this positioning, and proper implementation of programs, as well as security assurance should be re-enforced.

For his part, CCCI president Samuel Chioson said CCCI will support any developments that will be initiated in order to raise the bar in putting Cebu as an international ESL hub. (FREEMAN)