(Photo credit: DOT FB page) 

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- In a meeting between Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, the two discussed some collaborative ventures to improve the tourism industry by strengthening tourism-related activities for the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, who also stands as a chair in the Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) Business Advisory Council Philippines, paid a courtesy visit to the tourism chief on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the DOT office.

During the meeting, Sec. Frasco specifically mentioned the importance of boosting the participation of the local government units as well as the regional offices.

The DOT chief identified that the capability to market tourist offerings is one of the most important training sessions needed in the tourism industry. She said the Department is open to the expertise of the mentors of Go Negosyo.

Since 2016, the organization has mentored 12,100 entrepreneurs, to which Frasco commended the idea of training tourism stakeholders through the 3M (money, market, and mentorship) on wheels and its mall-based mentoring program.

The possible collaborations discussed include the conduct of a Tourism Summit in May, with Cebu as the pioneer location. Similar efforts will be replicated outside the province.

The organization will also offer NegoSem, a mentorship program targeting tourism MSMEs and its workforce, with the DOT in-charge of the areas which will be part of the said program.

Secretary Frasco said the Department is eyeing to train 100,000 tourism workforce across all 16 regions in the country. (via DOT/PIA-NCR)