British Embassy, DOT-7 to hold security awareness training for Cebu tour operators

Local tourism stakeholders in Oslob and other southern towns attended a security awareness seminar organized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Task Group Cebu, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG-7) and PNP last April 15.| CDND Photo / Rosalie Abatayo 

CEBU, Philippines — In anticipating a “bright” year in the tourism industry for 2019, travel and tour enterprises across the province will have to gear up not only in leveraging the quality of their services but also in providing solutions to security issues.

On April 24 and 25, at least 200 tourism enterprise operators in Cebu province, including those coming from the cities of Lapu-lapu and Cebu, will be recipients of a security awareness seminar organized by the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7) and the British Embassy.

DOT-7 Senior Operations Head Marlon Barrientos said the tour operators are encouraged to coordinate with their local tourism officers to register in the workshop.

Carlo Anton Suarez, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), told CDN Digital that they welcome every opportunity to equip their members and other workers in the industry with capacity to help in securing the province.

“This is very important because safety and security is our number one priority in HRRAC. All year round, the forecast is very good in terms of the tourism side. That is why it is very important to prioritize safety and security, peace and order,” Suarez said.

The southern part of Cebu, including the towns of Badian and Dalaguete, has been included in travel advisories issued by the government of the United Kingdom in the past years due to “threats of terrorism.”

This prompted the first tourism stakeholders security dialogue in the Oslob on February 3, 2019.

READ MORE: Police assure Cebu is safe for tourists amid UK travel advisory on terrorism threat in southern Cebu 

READ MORE: Cebu’s tourism stakeholders urged to cooperate to deter terrorist threats

According to Suarez, it would be beneficial for tourism stakeholders to get inputs on security and learn the risks in order for them to ensure the security of their guests and their immediate communities.

“HRRAC is working closely with the military, police and NICA (National Intelligence Coordinating Agency) so that everyone is inclined to achieve one goal… that is to make Cebu and the Philipines a better place and a safe place to live in for us, locals, and for our tourists,” Suarez said.

Aside from the security awareness training in Cebu, Barrientos added that they will also be organizing a similar event in Bohol to also cater to the local tourism operators in the area. / celr