WHILE the government and the private sector consider tourism as a major driver of the country’s economy, the urge of many Filipinos to find better-paying jobs overseas is threatening the industry’s growth.
Growing and emerging ventures in the tourism industry are suffering from lack of people who can deliver hospitality services to domestic and foreign visitors.
The problem was raised during the Cebu Business Month-Tourism Congress 2008 last week.
“Filipinos are naturally nurturing. We already have something here that we can develop. The spa industry (in the country), while fairly new, is growing fast. It aims to be consistently world-class,” said Joy Dompor of Serenity Spa.
But positions for massage therapists have to be filled, and this can be done through “training, training and training,” she said.
No assurance
Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu (Swac) president Johnnie Lim said that even after a company has invested on the training for a spa therapist, there is no assurance that the management can keep him long enough for him to contribute back to the industry.
Companies offering spa services also aim to be accredited with the Department of Tourism (DOT) to gain a stronger foothold on the market, but for a wellness business to secure the accreditation, at least one out of its 20 therapists should pass a series of exams provided by the Department of Health (DOH) in Manila and get a license.
These exams are held on separate dates, making it hard for a wellness company to shoulder the travel cost and other expenses of the employee.
“Big spas can afford it. But how about day spas (or small operations) that cannot afford to shell out more than P20,000?
Because of this problem, only very few spas are accredited with DOT,” Lim said.
“We, at Swac, appeal to the government to consider holding the same set of exams simultaneously here in Cebu,” he said.
Spa and wellness companies are also apprehensive that their investment will go down the drain if their therapists do not pass the exams and are unable to get licenses.
“And even after he is trained, had passed the exams and (able to secure a) license from DOH, there is no assurance that we can hold him as there are various opportunities outside the country,” said Lim.
Dompor also noted that in other countries, massage training normally runs for two years. This, she said, puts the country at a disadvantage.
Lim said there is only one school in the country for spa education and it is located in Manila.
PAL’s woes
Apart from getting qualified people and enhancing their training as front liners, Dompor urged spa therapists to “connect with the customers emotionally but stay professional in carrying out the hospitality service.”
Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines (PAL) vice president for marketing support Felix Cruz disclosed that PAL is also losing some its crew and even its information technology and human resource personnel to countries in the Middle East.
“There is nothing much we can do. There are opportunities outside and we cannot stop them from taking (those),” he said during the same tourism congress.
DOT 7 Director Patria Aurora Roa said Cebu’s manpower ought to have a national and international perspective so that when they come back from overseas employment, they can contribute more to the province’s growth.
Rather than retrench employees in the midst of surging fuel prices, PAL, which has a total of more than 8,000 employees, plans to hire more people to help deliver quality service.
“We make our employees feel they are part of something bigger…which deals with productivity and profitability. We make them realize that we have a responsibility to help and develop the tourism potential of the country,” Cruz said in behalf of PAL president Jaime Bautista. (NRC)
