Virgin Island vendors taught how to better serve tourists

This is how the famous Virgin Island in Panglao, Bohol looks like on August 3, 2022, when the local government decided to limit tourism activities there to sightseeing only. | Photo from Bohol Gov. Aris Aumentado FB

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — Vendors at Virgin Island in Panglao, Bohol were taught how to better serve their costumers following the mess on overpriced food that were allegedly sold to local tourists.

A total of 35 food stall owners and their staff joined the seminar held on August 10 and organized by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in coordination with the Bohol Tourism Office and the Municipality of Panglao.  The seminar was also attended by personnel from the Panglao Island Protected Seascape Protected Area Management Board.

The conduct of the seminar was the first step in realizing the promise that Tourism Secretary Maria Christina Garcia-Frasco made to facilitate an inter-agency technical working group that aimed to strengthen the capacity of micro entrepreneurs to allow them to provide quality tourism services.

Virgin island vendors were made to undergo a seminar organized by the DOT. | Contributed photo

“The FBSE, a banner program of the DOT, has been conducted for individuals, small and medium enterprises and world-recognized establishments serving the tourist market,” the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas (DOT-7) said in a statement.

“We are grateful to our participants for showing the willingness to learn and partake in a tourism industry that is sustainable, inclusive and socially responsible. We also thank our partners from the public sector, particularly the Bohol Tourism Office and the Municipality of Panglao for partnering with the DOT in order to uplift the service delivery of tourism workers in Virgin Island. Through this program, we hope to to develop a service excellence culture among tourism stakeholders in the island,” Frasco was quoted in the same statement.

“Grounded on the principle of making tourism activities sustainable for the long haul, we wish to equip our graduates with a deliberate inclination towards creating an “outstanding visitor experience,” the Tourism Secretary added.

DOT-7 said that Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists (CATOS) and a Certified FBSE trainer talked about the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) during the seminar  They discussed about service excellence, the 7Ms of Filipino values and understanding guest needs and service recovery during the gathering held last August 10.

The modular course focused on the foundations of Filipino values – Makamay-likha, Makatao, Makakalikasan, Makabansa, Masayahin, May Bayanihan and May Pag-asa.

“These are basic values that we, Filipinos, live in our daily lives. By bringing it into our encounters with clients, we help enable respect for the Creator, environment-awareness, cordiality, helpfulness and politeness, love of country and hopefulness,” Frasco said.

For their part, participants acknowledged the need to improve service delivery while they also expressed their appreciation for the effort extended by the program facilitators.

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