DOT eyes LGU councilors

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is planning to involve members of local legislative councils in the country in identifying and developing more tourist destinations.

Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque said the DOT will implement a program that will involve educating town and city councilors how their respective areas of jurisdiction can be developed for tourism.

In an interview last week, Jarque said the program will enlighten the councilors on what they can do within their areas of responsibility for the tourism industry.

“It is also aimed to create an appreciation for tourism,” Jarque said, adding that the program is set to start within the month.

Within this year, the DOT targets to hold 10 conventions in 10 different venues nationwide. The department also targets at
least 100 attendees for each gathering. Travel, accommodation and food expenses will be shouldered by the DOT.

Cebu, said Jarque, is one of the chosen destinations for the convention but the final list is yet to be finalized.

The two-day program will tackle three main topics pertaining to the trends and issues of the industry. The first topic will talk about what makes a particular destination attract local and foreign tourists.

“Not every attraction is a destination,” Jarque told members of the media.

The DOT will also discuss how to market tourist attractions and teach councilors about market-matching.

The last topic will be on the trainings and standards of the DOT.

On the second day, the DOT will showcase a compilation of the best tourism practices by some players in the industry.

After the discussions, the participants will be allowed to shop for pasalubong (souvenir) so that they can get ideas how important product presentation is in the industry.

Jarque said the DOT hopes to attract many local government councilors, adding that 100 participants per destination would mean 100 success stories.

At present, there are 16,000 councilors who are members of the Philippine Councilors League. (DME)