DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco on Monday (August 12) expressed her appreciation for Davao region’s tourism frontliners on the sidelines of the Davao Tourism Association’s (DATA) 50th Founding Anniversary.
She led the distribution of essential kits to tour guides and certified Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) trainers from across the region at Dusit Thani Davao, Davao City.
“Truly, the work of our tour guides and those that seek to elevate their competitiveness by training them continually is a gift that keeps on giving to Philippine tourism,” Secretary Frasco shared in a heartfelt message to the region’s tourism frontliners.
Recognizing the pivotal role that tour guides play in revitalizing the country’s tourism industry, the Tourism Chief personally distributed the kits to the group of 25 FBSE trainers and tour guides.
As a show of gratitude to the FBSE trainers for their efforts in surpassing the target number of trainees last year, with the Davao Region ranking second highest in the country.
“That, to me, is the perfect manifestation of the commitment, the love, the dedication, and the sheer excellence of our tourism industry stakeholders here in the Davao Region,” Frasco remarked.
FBSE Master Trainer Cherry Faye Al-Ag, along with FBSE Trainers Joji Rose Ang, Mary Antonette Doromal, Raul Hermosisima, Pia Lourdes Partoza, and Leticia Tan, were among those who received the trainer kits.
Furthermore, 19 regional tour guides from the Guide Union for Inbound Destination and Ecotourism (GUIDE) Davao and Davao Association of Specialized Intraregional Guides (DASIG) Turismo associations were also beneficiaries of the tour guide kits during the Meet and Greet. These include thoughtfully curated tour guide kits of sunblock, sunglasses, a fedora hat, a lapel microphone, a journal, a ballpen, and a tumbler. Meanwhile, the FBSE trainer kits featured a journal, ballpen, powerbank, tumbler, and a barong-style bomber jacket—essentials tailored to meet the daily needs of our tourism frontliners.
“And that’s why it’s very important to us that our tour guides continue to be commended for their contributions, to be supported through trainings, assistance, social protections, so that they may be encouraged to continue to tell the Filipino story with love, because only by providing our tourists with an unforgettable Philippine experience that is made more meaningful by the love and service of our tour guides, that we can be assured that they will stay longer, that they will spend more, and they will come back again and again,” Secretary Frasco emphasized.
In addition, each attendee received personal accident insurance coverage valued at Php50,000, courtesy of Tourism Secretary Frasco.
Accompanying the Tourism Chief were Davao City Committee on Tourism Chairperson Councilor Alryan Alejandre, DOT Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Shahlimar Hofer Tamano, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines Chief Operations Officer Marga Nograles, and DOT Davao Regional Director Tanya Rabat Tan.
Editor’s Note: This article has been sourced from the Department of Tourism – Philippines Facebook Page.
