THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said Sunday that frontline tourism workers who had undergone the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) program have exceeded 100,000.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the number of graduates exceeds the target set for the Office of Industry Manpower Development, which “manifests the commitment of the (current) administration to transform the tourism industry.”
“Less than a year since the 100,000-goal for FBSE training was set, we have hit more than what we aimed for,” Ms. Frasco said.
“We thank our stakeholders for rising to the challenge, as well as the trainers, participants, and our partner institutions who have closely collaborated with us on this initiative,” she added.
As of Oct. 13, the DoT tallied 100,407 tourism workers across the accommodation, travel and tour, transport, academe, farm tourism, tour guide, and tourist police industries.
The program aims to sustain excellence in hospitality and enhance the quality of tourism services.
Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) professional and FBSE Level 1 Regional Trainer Orly Ballesteros said the program highlights Filipino excellence in services to the rest of the world.
“I hope that sooner than later this culture of excellence will become the norm rather than an exception,” he added.
According to DoT, supporters of the FBSE include the Manila International Airport Authority, Megaworld Corp., Enchanted Kingdom, Best Western Plus, and Hilton Hotels and Resorts. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
