Jobs in PHL tourism on the rise, says online portal JobsDB

As a result of investments and a refinement in Tourism courses, at least 10,000 jobs are being posted daily by luxury hotels, casinos and resorts nationwide, search engine operator JobsDB said Wednesday.

Jobs in the tourism sector now ranks 8th among the Top 10 sectors with the highest employment opportunities in the Philippines where around 10,000 jobs in the hospitality and tourism industry are available at any given time, said Sheryll Tiburcio, JobsDB country manager.

At the same time, Tourism courses are now being fine-tuned by schools in terms of equipping students to make it through the highly competitive labor force required by investors in luxury hotels and resorts, according to a Department of Tourism (DOT) official.

“The numbers are significant… It tells us that there is a growing number of young Filipinos who are keen on being at the frontline of the ever growing tourism industry, an industry that is poised to bring in 10 million tourists in the next three years,” Tiburcio noted in her speech at the opening of job fair.

The search engine and partner Philippine Travel Operators and Agencies (PHILTOA) is holding a one day job fair at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Wednesday. Luxury hotels that include Solaire and Sofitel as well as resorts, travel agencies and the hospitality sectors have posted job openings in the event.

The Tourism Department and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) have embarked on a program to enhance quality of Tourism courses in the colleges and universities, said Maria Corazon Guerrero, DOT accreditation division officer in charge.

“These programs by the DOT and CHED are aimed at producing graduates who will meet the highly competitive demands of the travel and tourism sector in the country,” Guerrero told reporters in an interview.

The need to “improve the qualifications of tourism professionals is more pressing now that there is an increase in the number of new luxury resorts, casinos and hotels opening in the country,” the Tourism official added.

Despite the challenges facing the industry — including the need for more adequate accommodations, leisure activities and unique attractions, and improved infrastructure links from airports to tourist destinations — the Aquino administration is targeting 10 million foreign arrivals starting in 2016. — VS, GMA News