BAGUIO CITY – Around 80 participants from the different farmers’ cooperatives and associations (FCAs) in Tuba of La Trinidad and Itogon in Benguet and Besao in Mt. Province participated in the Training on Filipino Brand Service Excellence (FBSE), facilitated by the Cordillera office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) recently at the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera’s Organic Research and Development Training Center in Baguio Animal Breeding Research Center (DA-CAR BABRC).
In support of RA 10816, otherwise known as the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, this training was conducted for the purpose of prescribing the necessary rules and regulations for the development and promotion of farm tourism in the Philippines.
According to Ms. Sylvia Chinayog of DOT, the training is very appropriate for farmers who wish to convert their farms as tourist destinations. It is also part of the DOT’s task to roll out the FBSE to all of its stakeholders, and farmers are part of that. “Since your farms will soon be a tourist destination, we need you to be part of our rollout. This training will give you an idea of how you will be receiving your guests properly and appropriately so that the tourists will keep coming back,” stressed Chinayog.
During the training, the topics included, Filipino values and service excellence highlighting the 7Ms of Filipino values and the 6 tourism touchpoints; understanding the guests; delivering great service excellence; and, service recovery which focused on how to handle guests’ concerns or complaints.
The 7Ms of Filipino values as mentioned are maka-maylika, makatao, maka-kalikasan, makabansa, masayahin, may-bayanihan, and may-pag-asa, whereas, the 6 tourism touchpoints are arrival, accommodation, dining, tours, shopping, and departure.
These topics were enthusiastically discussed by Lorie Jane Rosales, a master trainer who pointed out the importance of investing in one’s self and not just in agricultural lands. “As part of this people-oriented industry, I believe that we need to invest not only in your agricultural lands or your products but also the personnel, the frontliners that would be you. We wanted to invest in you that’s why we have this training today. We are one of you and we all have to work together in making the Filipino tourism workforce ready for a changed world,” she said.
While the government is calling for efforts to develop the agricultural tourism sector, local farmers have more opportunities to boost their incomes and diversify their farming activities.
As the government is pushing for efforts to develop the farm tourism sector, more opportunities become available for local farmers to augment their income and diversify their produce and land use. Thus, farm tourism does not only provide alternative tourist attractions in the country, but it also promotes agricultural farms and creates an opportunity for farmers to sell their products.
Participants at the end of the training committed to support the FBSE program of the DOT. LDMendoza
