The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7), in coordination with the Department of Tourism Central Visayas will soon launch an extensive linkage program with the tourism players and the grassroots producers to push vibrant economic activities especially in the non-urban areas.
DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte said that although the program is still on the planning stage, she said part of the plan is to provide an effective linkage between the hotels and the product producers, farmers, fishers-folk in different towns, to maximize the capacity of tourism in helping the poverty alleviation.
According to Caberte hotels, resorts, and restaurants will be encouraged to directly source their raw material requirements, not only for food and beverage raw materials but, also to strongly promote locally-produced products, like souvenirs.
This is part of the government thrust, to make tourism as the primary back-bone to boost economic activity especially in a rural community.
Instead of purchasing imported materials for any hotel operation requirement, Caberte said players will be encouraged to consider its resources produced by nearby communities.
Although, this set up is already existing, the entry of DTI and DOT in reinforcing the linkage between local producers and tourism institutions is seen to stimulate more income generating activities especially for small communities.
This is also to eradicate the existence of middle-men traders that will usually jack up the prices of commodities, products supplied to an institution.
Expanding the benefits of the OTOP (One-Town-One-Product) program, Caberte said, once the program will be finally implemented, it will stimulate entrepreneurship among town residents, and even farmers and fishermen.
Shortening the value-chain channel will be magnified, thus boosting the income generation of the producers.
Establishing a common souvenir shop or commercial center in one tourism hot-spot area will also be encouraged, so that end-producers will be able to set up their own retail stores, rather than selling their products to bulk-buyer retailers.
DTI secretary Gregory Domingo earlier said that his agency's number one priority is to push local industries to ride on to the dynamic tourism sector.
Domingo said DTI has lined up several programs that will link with the DOT in the next few months.
"Tourism is the only industry right now that can provide jobs [and livelihood opportunities] to all levels [in the society]," Domingo said adding that from un-skilled to executive level tourism sector can accommodate them all. (THE FREEMAN)
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