DOT pushing through with Tourism Congress on Nov 25
Posted on November 21st, 2009
November 25 is the schedule of the Tourism Congress. However, there were calls from the local tourism industry for its deferment, but the Department of Tourism (DOT) is still pushing through with the original schedule of the event.
Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said, “We have to convene the Tourism Congress as scheduled so that the participating members of the industry can organize themselves and there will be no more disruptions in the implementation of tourism programs next year.”
According to the tourism secretary, any delay or deferment of the summit would prevent the organization and election of officials that would implement tourism programs for next year. The DOT’s sole responsibility, Durano said, is to convene the Tourism Congress. The task of organizing and electing officials rests on the members of the tourism industry.
There are 35 organizations representing different sectors of the tourism industry nationwide. Durano said they were invited to attend the Tourism Congress as required under the new Tourism Act.
In the said law, the DOT would convene the Tourism Congress to allow participants to elect the nominees to fill up the five seats for the governing board of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Tourism Promotion Board (TPB) and the Duty Free Philippines Corp.
Once the three agencies become operational, they would implement the government’s tourism programs. “With the members of the tourism industry serving as members of the governing, the private sector would now be able to participate in the implementation and promotion of tourism programs,” Durano said.
The tourism industry need to elect interim officers should they fail to organize and officially nominate the officials for the governing board, to avoid possible delays in the operations of the three new DOT attached industries, Durano added.
He further reiterated that members of the tourism industry taking part in the November 25 Tourism Congress have the duty to draft the constitution and by-laws of the governing body.
