'Only 1 out of 10 Phl towns has tourism officer'

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE – Only one municipality out of every 10 towns in the country has a tourism officer to handle tourism promotions in their localities, according to the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).

ATOP believes the non-appointment of tourism officers in local government units (LGUs) violates the Tourism Act of 2009 and affects tourism growth in the country. 

At the sidelines of the Northern Philippines Tourism and Travel expo 2011 at the SM City here, ATOP president Miguel Sison said the mandatory appointment of tourism officers in every municipality nationwide had not been fully institutionalized as stipulated in the law.  

“Under the law, the tourism officer should have been mandatory but some LGUs are hesitant to appoint them because it involves their budgets,” Sison said.

He said there are also municipalities that do not designate tourism officers because they think their locality has no tourism potential. Some LGUs, on the other hand, designate tourism officers not qualified for the position.

Pangasinan tourism officer Maria Luisa Amor-Elduayan said her province has fully complied with the law, with 44 of its towns and four cities having designated tourism officers.

Nueva Ecija Tourism officer Carol Uy said 22 out of the province’s 27 towns have tourism officers, although they do not hold plantilla positions.  

Sison said the ATOP is now helping the Department Of Tourism to institutionalize the law so that all towns in the country will have a tourism officer each.

At least 120 exhibitors, seven foreign wholesale buyers and merchandisers as well as travel agents participated in the tourism expo here that opened Friday afternoon and closes today.

Merchandisers from Malaysia and Singapore transacted with tourism groups from the Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administrative Region.             

The expo is a collaboration between the DOT, local government units, the Central Luzon Tourism Council, and the Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corp. (PETCO) that managed the event. 

On exhibit are pavilions from Central Luzon provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales, DOT, Clark Development Corp., Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and corporate booths of tourism-related businesses such as airlines, hotels and resorts.

The exhibit booths showcased popular and emerging tourism destinations, attractions, products and services. There were also cultural shows, corporate game shows, raffle draws and crafts and culinary demonstrations during the expo.

Yesterday, foreign tourism agents viewed the exhibits and met with the local tourism firms for the business-matching component of the expo dubbed as Buyers Meet Sellers program held at the Holiday Inn.            

The agents were flown in by Cebu Pacific, the official carrier of the expo.