PGLU seeks to accredit more tourism enterprises

October 29, 2019 Provincial

Following the order from the Department of the Interior and Local Government for business owners to secure accreditation first before operating, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) headed by Gov. Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” R. Ortega III supported the Department of Tourism (DOT) – Region 1 in the conduct of mobile manual accreditation during the La Union Tourism Summit on September 24, 2019 at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Convention Hall, City of San Fernando, La Union.
PGLU urged all primary tourism enterprises in the province to be DOT-accredited to promote tourism quality through Progressive Accreditation System. Primary tourism enterprises include accommodation establishments, travel and tour services, and tour guides and transport services.
DOT – RO1 Senior Tourism Operations Officer Edilberto Littaua, Jr. explained the importance and process of accreditation to tourism stakeholders in the province.
This is to encourage tourism stakeholders to be accredited to make sure they deliver quality service. He also expressed appreciation to a number of tourism stakeholders who showed interest to be accredited during the La Union Tourism Summit 2019.
Based on the latest record, there are 102 DOT-accredited tourism enterprises and entities as of September 2019. Meanwhile, there are four accommodation establishments, two tour and travel operators, and 11 freelance tour guides that are accommodation expected to apply for accreditation.
A DOT-accredited tourism enterprise/entity can avail of the following incentives: priority to DOT training programs on basic customer handling; housekeeping to upgrade the quality of service for the guests; issuance of DOT identification ID card to bonafide employees; endorsement to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board for issuance of Tourist Transport Franchise; endorsement to Embassies and Travel Trade Association/s for utilization of establishment’s facilities and services for marketing in other countries; and be a part of sales mission with DOT.