Even as the country’s unemployment rate in November 2023 stood at 3.6 percent or at 1.83 million individuals (down from 2.18 million in 2022) and underemployment was maintained at 12 percent or 5.87 million people, labor and tourism officials are confident that overseas Filipinos workers (OFWs) who wish to settle for good can be trained to be tourism frontliners or entrepreneurs.
Tourism Secretary Ma. Christina Garcia Frasco and Department of Migrant Workers OIC Hans Leo Cacdac signed last January 18 an agreement under the “Balik Bayani sa Turismo” program that will provide free training for OFWs wanting to settle in the Philippines for good.
The program aims to provide jobs and business opportunities in local tourism for OFWs in collaboration with the DOT through free tourism-related skills development and enhancement training that would include culinary tourism, farm tourism, homestay operations and tour guiding.
“Every OFW wants to return for good. Everyone has plans for their families and communities. That’s why this partnership with the DOT is a huge help for our OFWs to come home with their families while having a sustainable source of income in the local tourism sector,” Cacdac said.
OFWs with extensive experience in language skills or in tourism-related activities can also be part of the DOT’s pool of experts, including opportunities as resource persons in various government programs, the DMW chief added.
On the other hand, Frasco noted that OFWs are the best tourism ambassadors of the Philippines because of the competence and expertise they offer to the world, and because of their rich experiences that can help in the promotion of the local tourism industry.
“We are counting on our partnership with the DMW because the returning OFWs are so much valued in the tourism industries because of their experience and expertise,” the tourism head said.
Cacdac said the DOT and DMW in cooperation with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will also provide scholarship grants for qualified OFWs and their family members who want to become tourism front-liners and service providers or tourism enterprise owners.
Frasco said the addition of OFWs in the tourism sector will help boost its competitiveness since OFWs are most valued in tourism industries because of their experience and expertise.
In 2023, the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association reported a shortage of workers in local hotels and resorts as their occupancy increased following the lifting of restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Increase in tourists
Last January 2, the DoT reported in its website that over 5.4 million visitors, of which 91.8 percent are foreigners, arrived for the entirety of 2023 generating P480 billion in tourism receipts.
The balance of 8.2 percent were returning OFWs.
This is 650,000 higher than the target of 4.8 million international visitors projected with South Koreans retaining the top spot or at 26.41 percent, followed by the United States (16.57 percent), Japan (5.61 percent, Australia (4.89 percent) and China (4.84 percent).
Other foreigners who visited the country were from Canada, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Tourism receipts surged to P482.54 billion, higher by 124,87 percent than the previous year’s P214.58 billion.
The Philippines also reached a 66 percent recovery rate for its all-time high international visitor arrivals achieved in 2019.
By 2024, the DOT is targeting a baseline target of 7.7 million international visitor arrivals.
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