Tag: Negros Occidental Tourism Division

NegOcc tourist arrivals up by 2%, hit 1.76M in 2018

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Occidental, including this city, registered 1.76 million in tourist arrivals by end of December 2018, a 2 percent increase compared to the 2017 figures.

Cristine Mansinares, provincial supervising tourism operations officer, on Tuesday said various conventions and similar events hosted by the city and the province largely contributed to the growth.

In 2017, the total tourist arrivals in Negros Occidental only reached 1.72 million.

Mansinares said the provincial government’s nature-based tourism that attracted more crowd, and the strengthened marketing and promotion efforts with stakeholders also helped boost the number of visitors last year.

Negros Occidental hosted a group of celebrities and social media influencers from Malaysia for a six-day filming trip featuring the province’s beaches, farm tourism offerings, and ecotourism sites in October last year.
File photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Tourism Division
 

“Nature-based tourism products that we offered included beaches, mountain resorts, diving and snorkeling sites as well as trekking areas,” she added.

As part of its marketing and promotion initiatives, Negros Occidental has been actively participating in key travel fairs and business missions and hosting familiarization tours for local and international media and tour operators in events like Panaad sa Negros Festival and other festivals of local government units, she said.

The provincial government also cited the support of local bloggers in promoting the tourism industry, she said.

Mansinares noted that the tourist arrival figures accounted for overnight visitors only, which means these are on top of the day visitors coming to Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

Figures from the Negros Occidental Tourism Division (NOTD) showed that the province catered to 3.19 million day tourists last year, which is 17 percent higher than the 2.74 million day visitors in 2017.

For foreign tourists, the top 10 markets are the United States with 16,362 arrivals; Korea, 16,048; Japan, 8,021; Russia, 6,629; Australia, 5,636; China, 4,913; Canada, 4,744; Germany, 4,264; the United Kingdom, 2,223; and India, 1,896.

Meanwhile, the top 10 contributing LGUs are Bacolod City, Sipalay City, Murcia, Kabankalan City, San Carlos City, Cadiz City, Talisay City, Bago City, Escalante City, and Silay City.

Mansinares said the province has a total of 293 accommodation establishments with 5,853 rooms, providing direct employment to 3,694 Negrenses.

In the 2016 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors released by the Philippine Statistics Authority and DOT in mid-2017, Negros Occidental was the second most visited place in the country by Filipino domestic travelers, behind the National Capital Region. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063761

NegOcc seeks more DOT-accredited tour guides

BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental Tourism Division has initiated the training of 27 individuals, who will work as tour guides under the provincial government’s efforts to boost its tourism industry.

The Tour Guiding Training Course, being held at the Negros First Negosyo Center in Bacolod City, is conducted in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Western Visayas and the Tourism Educators and Movers (TEAM) Philippines-Western Visayas.

Cristine Mansinares, provincial supervising tourism operations officer, said Sunday that tour guides act as representatives of the province and play a significant role in ensuring tourist satisfaction.

They are considered as ambassadors, who will present Negros Occidental in a way that will encourage tourists to come back, she added.

Participants of the Tour Guiding Training Course with the Negros Occidental Tourism Division Team headed by Supervising Tourism Operations Officer Cristine Mansinares (seated, 3rd from left), Ryan Sebastian (seated, 4th from left) from the Manpower Industry Development Division of DOT-Manila, Tim Ticar (seated, 5th from left) from DOT-Region 6, Team Philippines-Western Visayas president Dr. Gina Montes (seated, 5th from right) and Alliance of Tour Guides in Occidental Negros president Cidni Mapa (seated, left).
Contributed Photo

Mansinares said tour guides also serve as information officers by helping  tourists understand the culture of the province.

The 23-day training course is conducted every weekend until June 2.  

“Through this training course, we hope to encourage the participants to apply for DOT accreditation after they graduate. They will become our back-up manpower during big conventions,” she added.

At present, there are only seven DOT-accredited tour guides in Negros Occidental.

“Given a few number of accredited tour guides, we are having difficulty especially in times of big events like meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions,” Mansinares said.

She said the Tourism Division aims to address the gap through the training course.

The 27 participants included graduating college students, retired professionals, artists and medical doctors, among others.

Mansinares said that aside from the lectures, there will be written and oral exams as part of the assessment.

Familiarization tours, field work, and researches are also included in the modules.

The graduates will receive certificates of completion from the three partner organizations. (PNA)

Source: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1063495