DEPARTMENT of Tourism-Cordillera Administrative Region director Purificacion Molintas said industries in the Cordillera are taking their game plan a notch higher for 2015.
Molintas said products and services of the tourism sector will have to be improved to be able to face the challenges of the Asean integration next year.
"Doors will be open to tourism; we need to have a standardization of competencies," she said.
Product development for the local government unit has to be undertaken to be able to cater to an international market, which is expected to increase by 2015 because of lower travel costs and looser policies for international trade and travel.
Molintas said products of an LGU in terms of tourism are hinged on services the area can provide like, security, communications networks, hotel and restaurant services as well as bank-to-bank transactions.
She said the tourism sector is looking at the enhancement of these services to be able to get a holistic approach in the tourism services.
Molintas added that the tourism industry of the region has been undergoing workshops and capacity building seminars for stakeholders to be able to keep up to date with new trends and needs in the industry.
She said the tourism infrastructure has already been laid out in terms of creation of roads and improvement of existing highways leading to tourism destinations.
In 2015, it is anticipated goods, services, as well as tourism products, will come into the region and in turn, the Cordilleras will be able to showcase at a global level, local tourism.