TOURISM enterprises are encouraged to be accredited under the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 while fees are still waived.
Following reports on unaccredited tourist guides operating illegally, Judy Gabato, chief tourism operations officer of DOT 7, urges unlicensed establishments to obtain free accreditation certificates.
“We are encouraging everyone to get accredited while it’s free, no payment needed upon application. It would be nice to have a lot of applicants while it is still free,” said Gabato in Cebuano during a phone interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024.
In an article published on Feb. 23, 2023 by the DOT, it reported the extension of its Memorandum Circular (MC) 2022-001 which “waives accreditation fees for tourism establishments.”
The article also outlines the purpose of waiving the accreditation fees for tourism enterprises to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, said DOT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.
Gabato also emphasized that unlicensed tourism-related businesses may apply through the DOT’s online accreditation system: https://accreditation.tourism.gov.ph/login.
“For those who wish to comply, they must apply through the online accreditation system; we don’t do manual applications. Once everything is complete, we issue and approve the accreditation certificate immediately, and it is system-generated, not manual,” she said.
A DOT accreditation is a certification that formally acknowledges an establishment’s adherence to the required minimum standards for operating tourism facilities and services.
During the coordination meeting held at the Lapu-Lapu City Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 14, together with DOT 7 representatives and the City Tourism Office (CTO), they addressed concerns related to “hupo-hupo” operators in the City that have affected the livelihood of accredited tour guides.
Tour guides who do not have accreditation from the CTO and the DOT are referred to as “hupo-hupo” by locals.
In response to the discussion raised, Gabato said the DOT 7 is working closely with the local government units (LGUs) to address the matter at hand.
She also said the continuous collaboration with the LGUs helps them with their campaign to have these unlicensed individuals become accredited.
“We are also working closely with LGUs to address the issue of unaccredited entities by sharing a comprehensive list of DOT accredited establishments for effective identification and monitoring,” she said.
“We urge the public to only avail themselves of the services of DOT-accredited establishments and frontliners, which include the tour guides. This ensures not only high quality of service [but] also the safety and security of [guests],” she added.
DOT-accredited tour guides are equipped with uniforms and an identification card, which are also essential for tourism police units in their monitoring.
She said the DOT 7 also provides various training to accredited tour guides by offering modules and proper courtesy practices to properly handle guests and make the travelers’ visits worthwhile.
According to Gabato, Central Visayas has a total of 2,619 accredited tourism establishments and individuals.
Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu CTO officials are also encouraging unaccredited tour guides to secure a certificate of accreditation from their office.
Applicants may visit the CTO and submit their requirements for free. / DPC