PGLU GATHERS TOURISM STAKEHOLDERS IN 1ST TOURISM CONFERENCE
By: Joy Ann L. Gurtiza | Photo By: GPC-PIO | Date: April 4, 2019
Provincial Information Officer Mr. Adamor L. Dagang presents the newly signed SP Ordinance 158-2018 Regulating the Operation of Tourism Entities in The Province of La Union and Mandating them to submit Regular Monthly Reports on Tourists Statistics Data to the City, Municipal and Provincial Governments of La Union during the Tourism Stakeholders Conference for Department of Tourism’s Accreditation and Statistics Reporting at Awesome Hotel, San Juan, La Union on April 3-4, 2019. Initial results of visitor attraction survey and the updated tourists’ arrivals were also discussed in said event.
To update the various tourism stakeholders of the province with the current policies on accreditation and statistics reporting, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) in collaboration with the Department of Tourism – Region 1 (DOT-RO1), conducted the first Tourism Stakeholders Conference on April 3 to 4, 2019 at the Events Hall of Awesome Hotel, San Juan, La Union.
With all the programs that the province aims to bring forward in the next three years, the event was conducted to strengthen the Tourism Support Service Standards in the province. This requires monitoring of primary and secondary tourism establishments’ delivery of quality tourism services to the public set by the national government. The event was participated in by more than 100 tourism industry leaders such as owners and managers of Tourism Enterprises, Municipal/City Tourism Officers, Business Permit and Licensing Officers, Committee Chairpersons on Tourism and other key players.
Throughout the activity, participants underwent workshops on recommended recording templates for accommodation establishments, which were conducted after the discussion on measuring the success of local tourism establishments.
The conference also featured mobile manual accreditation for the stakeholders to be guided and be updated about the progressive accreditation system that has three schemes - basic, regular and the premium-star-rated systems. There were 15 accommodation establishments, eight restaurants, two travel and tour agencies, two Agri-Tourism sites and one spa that applied for accreditation during the event.
Trends in the tourism industry were also discussed by speakers from DOT-RO1, such as “Regional and Local Trends” by Senior Tourism Operations Officer Loryna C. Fonacier; “Tourist Attraction Visitor Survey 2018 Result” by Tourism Officer Edilberto D. Littaua, Jr.; “DOT Accreditation Requirements and Application” by Accreditation Officer Michael C. Putulan; and “Tourism Statistics Reporting” by Tourism Officer Kristane Caducio.
In his message, Provincial Information Officer Adamor L. Dagang emphasized the crucial role and responsibility of tourism stakeholders in sustainable tourism development in the province. He also encouraged the stakeholders on the strict compliance of the recently approved Ordinance No. 158-2018 regulating the operation of tourism entities in the Province of La Union and mandating them to submit regular reports on tourist statistics data to the City, Municipal and Provincial Governments of La Union.
The conference is a testament to the commitment of the provincial government to reinforce its efforts in making tourism statistics accessible, reliable and useful in the tourism planning endeavors to meet the needs of tourists and general public.
