TAWI-TAWI — The Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), through its tourism bureau conducted a trainor’s training and monitoring of tourism projects in this far-flung province on October 7-9.
According to Engr. John Lomboy, regional office’s chief tourism operation officer, the 3-day training aimed at strengthening the human resource of the Bureau of Tourism (BOT) and MTIT tourism officers in the entire region.
Participants include provincial directors and tourism officers from Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, and Sulu.
The training focused on customer service, Filipino brand of service, tourism event organizing, tourism awareness, and tourism value chain as topics of discussion, which were lectured by different resource speakers of the MTIT to include Engr. Lomboy himself.
Engr. Lomboy said that they are using a general approach with their tourism promotion while waiting for the completion of the regional tourism development plan.
“Katunayan ang MTIT ay nag-hire ng consultant upang i-formulate ang nasabing plano sa tourism development ng BARMM,” Lomboy added.
Meanwhile, Phemeena Mambatawan, MTIT regional information officer, said that monitoring of tourism related establishments (TRE) particularly restaurants and sites in the province, was one of the ministry’s activities in the visitation aside from conducting the training.
This aimed for accommodation and accreditation of the TRE into the regional tourism board, and Hadji Uppay Eco-Farm was among the visited areas as part of the MTIT tourism project.
The Hadji Uppay Eco-Farm in Lapid-Lapid, Bongao, popularly known as the “rubber tree farm” has turned into a tourist site for the locals in the province.
MTIT Tawi-Tawi Provincial Director Termizie Masahud said that they have been so busy for the last eight days roaming around Tawi-Tawi together with the hired MTIT consultant to identify tourism related establishments in the province.
“This is in consonance with the crafting and formulation of the regional tourism development plan of the Bangsamoro government,” Masahud said. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
