The Department of Tourism (DOT) gathered stakeholders representing hotels, tour operators, and tourist transport providers, assuring them that “nobody will be left behind” in its pursuit of digitalizing the tourism industry.
The DOT made the statement during a dialogue with stakeholders particularly to tackle the Grab Tours Project, which was piloted last 6 to 12 June.
Grab Tours aims to bring onboard the tourism value chain by providing access to its all-in-one technology platform that provides everyday services like mobility, food deliveries, financial services—and soon, tour packages.
“Through this partnership with Grab, we hope to bring into the fold of digital transformation, first and foremost, our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which make up the majority of our tourism value chain. We also want to put a premium on our accredited tourism-related enterprises (TREs), whose resilience and hard work have kept our industry afloat in the last two years of the pandemic,”said DOT Undersecretary Atty. Mae Elaine Bathan, quoting Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
“Through this digital innovation, we also endeavor to empower our country’s tour guiding sector, who we dearly consider as the core strength of our tourism.”
Bathan emphasized Frasco’s objective “to leave nobody behind” in digitalizing the tourism value chain.
“Through this digital innovation, we also endeavor to empower our country’s tour guiding sector, who we dearly consider as the core strength of our tourism,” the chief of staff further clarified the project as a collaboration between Grab, the DOT, and tourism stakeholders.
One of the major concerns raised in the meeting is that consultation is crucial in any public-private undertaking.
“With the help from tourism organizations, there is no doubt this project will be a success.”
President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) Roberto Zozobrado strongly believes that tourism stakeholders can greatly benefit from the platform.
“It is our products, our services that we will use here… and with the help from tourism organizations, there is no doubt this project will be a success,” Zozobrado said.
Keeping an open mind, Fe Abling-Yu, President of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), openly offered to help introduce the project and to be an active partner of the Department through this initiative by recommending tour packages and help provide tour guides for the Grab Tours to become more enticing for the public.
“We volunteer PHILTOA to launch Grab Tours,” Abling-Yu added, recalling how their organization rallied behind the Department’s latest initiative, the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour Program.
She, however, reiterated the importance of coordination among stakeholders, and “putting everything in the proper perspective”.
Meanwhile, Benito Bengzon, Jr., Executive Director of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, likewise expressed support for this initiative to digitalize the tourism industry.
“We support your initiatives to make the Philippines globally competitive,” the former DOT undersecretary was quoted as saying, sharing how hotel owners have started to shift to digital solutions in their business transactions.
He further suggested prioritizing accredited TREs with regard to the Department’s promotions and business opportunities “as a matter of policy and practice”.
According to Kurt Cendaña of Grab Philippines, their primary objective for this project is to collaborate with the travel and tourism industry by offering their technology, branding, and marketing as a new business model for them to digitalize.
“We are not here to compete with you. Tourism is not our core competency. We have never done any tourism-related products and services. But what we can confidently offer here is the Grab platform, and explore the possibility of onboarding tour providers, and tour operators, as part of Grab’s merchant menu offering,” Cendaña explained, underscoring Grab’s vision to help transform the country’s tourism industry by offering a more convenient way of booking tours.
As part of its commitment to the DOT, the ride-hailing app behemoth has already trained select drivers, who will be part of the Grab Tours, under the Department’s one-day module on Filipino Brand of Service Excellence.
30 of its participating Grab drivers are also in the process of forming a cooperative, which will then be applying for DOT accreditation as a tourist transport provider.
