BACOLOD City – The Department of Tourism (DOT) in Western Visayas will be launching its “Accreditation on Wheels” program in this city.
The program slated on Aug. 27 to 29 aims to cater to the application for accreditation of tourism enterprises in the capital city.
It was implemented through the partnership of the city government and DOT Region 6.
According to the DOT, the distance of the regional office, which is in Iloilo, discourages owners of Bacolod tourism enterprises to undergo accreditation, the very reason why “Accreditation on Wheels” was conceived.
The program is in line with the department’s mandate to “develop and enforce a comprehensive system of mandatory accreditation for primary tourism enterprises and voluntary accreditation for secondary tourism enterprises.”
On Feb. 5, 2019, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año issued Memorandum Circular 2019-17, which instructed all LGUs to require all primary tourism enterprises, particularly accommodation establishments, to secure accreditation from DOT before they are issued licenses or permits to operate.
The circular “amplifies the necessity of having tourism enterprises accredited,” the DOT Region 6 wrote in an August 22 letter furnished to Acting City Tourism Officer Sandra Sycip.
Bacolod will be the venue of the first leg of the “Accreditation on Wheels.”
“We will be orienting participants on the importance and benefits of accreditation, the procedures and requirements. We will then receive and evaluate applications and documents submitted and conduct inspections,” the DOT Region 6 said.
Orientation and the receiving and evaluation of applications will be on Aug. 27.
Inspections will be conducted on Aug. 28 to 29.
The DOT targets to accredit at least 20 tourism enterprises in Bacolod at the end of the program.
Tourism is among the major economic drivers in Western Visayas. The DOT believes that in order to sustain the tourism industry in the region, tourism-oriented enterprises must comply with “internationally competitive standards” concerning facilities and services offered. (With a report from Bacolod City PIO/PN)
