UP-AIT sets first nat’l confab to aid LGUs in tourism dev’t
MANILA, Philippines - The University of the Philippines-Asian Institute of Tourism (UP-AIT), together with the Tourism Foundation Inc. (TFI) and the Department of Tourism (DOT), is staging the first National Conference on Tourism Governance designed to enhance the knowledge of local government units (LGUs) on destination management.
The conference, which will be held at the Mall of Asia’s SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Nov. 25-26, also aims to provide a venue for the participants to exchange experiences related to the opportunities and challenges of using tourism as a development tool.
Miguela Mena, UP-AIT dean, said government executives and resource speakers were invited to give keynote messages and share their expertise with the conference participants.
Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. is inviting local executives and personnel to the event in recognition of their important roles and responsibilities in handling tourism opportunities as a sustainable development tool.
For the first day, the topics are the Tourism Act and the value of DOT accreditation, the National Tourism Development Plan and what the LGUs can do to benefit from it, the best practices in tourism governance of local destinations, and tourism product development and marketing.
The following day will focus on topics such as the roles, values and challenges of local tourism offices and organizations, effective coordination between national and local governments, the role of the private sector in tourism governance, sustainability and inclusivity in tourism destination management, and the niche challenges related to destination management.
The conference comes as tourism destinations have been experiencing great changes and challenges.
On a global scale, the tourism industry is reportedly worth an estimated $1.15 trillion from a yearly revenue hike of 1.5 percent over the past five years.
Tourism’s total contribution to the global economy in 2011 alone was placed at $6.3 trillion and 255 million jobs.
For more information on the national conference on tourism governance, contact the UP-AIT at telefax 02-9269442, or e-mail tourismgovernance@gmail.com.
