DTI, DOT join forces to help boost tourism

CEBU, Philippines - While tourism has proven to be one of the most lucrative sectors in some regions in the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) aims to maximize the potential of this sector in identified regions in the country by coaching stakeholders to take advantage of tourism as wealth generator.

“Tourism is a lucrative market left untapped by the industries. This is the reason for the focus of DTI and DOT on this industry,” said DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte.

Six regions in the country will be the beneficiaries on the joint program for tourism development that is currently implemented by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Tourism (DOT). These regions include; region 4B, 6,7,8, 10 and 11.

In an interview with Caberte she said that the DTI-DOT collaboration is embodied in the Memorandum of Agreement signed between DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo and former DOT Secretary Alberto Lim last year, in an effort to create jobs within the framework of inclusive growth in the Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016.

She added that the DTI-DOT collaboration paves the way for the establishments to connect their goods and services with the tourism stakeholders.

She said that the DTI and DOT will be playing a proactive role in this holistic approach as the first phase of the project that will be implemented in the six regions.

Among the proposed strategies to improve the competitiveness of the tourism sector and the SMEs in the sector was to develop capacity of tourism establishments, provide accreditation as pre-requisite to business licensing, sensitize stakeholders, replicate and upscale databases on supply and demand as well as market matching.

One of the programs currently being implemented in line with this collaboration is the learning/sharing session on Leveraging Industries (LinCs).

LInCs is an initiative that DTI has started in Region 7 as a pro-active market development strategy to enable MSMEs to maximize market linkages with the tourism sector. Upon instructions from Usec. Merly Cruz of the Regional Operations Group of DTI, Caberte has this marching order to upscale this in the other regions.

Caberte noted that tourism stakeholders were only hesitant to source from SMEs because of fear of undersupply or not being able to meet their standards. She said DTI and DOT would help address these concerns.

“Their issue is more on availability of supply when they need it and the amount of supply that the SMEs can handle as well as the standards. With the partnership we will have a more consolidated SME group and we will try to deal more with organized groups of farmers or suppliers,” she said.

Caberte said the endeavor got the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

During the recent signing of the MOA held in Bohol, DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo expressed the agency’s commitment to promote tourism as its top priority sector and preferred match in economic development, as it is the only industry throughout the nation that generates more employment. (FREEMAN)