Building Stakeholders’ Capacity: A Case of Eco-friendly Tourism Destinations in Siruma, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Building Stakeholders’ Capacity: A Case of Eco-friendly Tourism Destinations in Siruma, Camarines Sur, Philippines

Mariel R. Estrella

College of Arts and Humanities, Partido State University

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2024.1107041

Received: 23 July 2024; Accepted: 30 July 2024; Published: 08 August 2024

ABSTRACT

Human capital is a primary asset in eco-friendly tourism. This study primarily assessed the human capital with respect to the local demand in tourism to prioritize interventions. Specifically, it attempted to: 1.) identify the size and quality of the demand for human capital in tourism in the locality; 2.) describe the extent the local human capital match the demand in tourism in the locality; and 3.) determine the needed policy and program interventions to enhance human capital matching in local tourism. This is a qualitative study that made use of Focus Group Discussion, Key Informant Interview, and Observation to gather data. Thematic analysis was employed. A total of 14 respondents participated in the FGD. Results showed that Siruma as an emerging tourism destination, has a high demand for tourism and hospitality professionals, yet presently, only few locals are employed in resorts. These few locals has certain abilities and can multitask but they are not equipped with the technical or hard skills and non-technical or soft skills expected in the tourism and hospitality industry. With these findings, the study proposes two policies: 1.) Policy on Skills Enhancement to harness the capacity of the locals working in resorts, and 2) Policy on Tourism Productivity to ensure that the hospitality employees are well-compensated and develop a deeper commitment in the tourism industry.

Keywords: Eco-friendly tourism, Hospitality skills, Capacity building in tourism attractions.

INTRODUCTION

Siruma is a municipality in Camarines Sur that is fast becoming a tourism capital in the Partido area. The tourists are captivated by its pristine beaches and breathtaking landscape and seascape. Unfortunately, being a 4th class municipality leaves them with limited resources to develop its tourism sites. At present, an information on their readiness on its human capital in relation to the demand of eco-friendly tourism destination is critically important.

Tourism is recognized as one of the economic drivers in the society. Eco-friendly tourism makes tourists enjoy the destination while contributing to its economic development. It is a form of travel that adheres to the principles of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism as “one that completely considers the economic, social and environmental repercussions to satisfy the needs of visitors and the host communities”. For the eco-friendly tourism to prosper, the locals must be engaged and must possess certain capacities to address the demand of eco-friendly tourism. Building their capacities towards an eco-friendly tourism is a primary concern. Ghaderi et al. (2017) showed that the stakeholders showed a strong interest in tourism but there are no Community Capability Building (CCB) initiatives because of lack of support. Although the CCB are not really required for tourism, the respondents asserted that this can maximize their potentials as tourism stakeholders. Essentially, Simmons et al. (2011) stated that community capacity building has the characteristics such as capabilities, abilities, knowledge, technical expertise, skills, leadership, partnerships and capital assets which will lead to a specific outcome. Therefore, CCB is a focused and directed effort of empowering the locals to assume roles in tourism. Focusing on the human capital will harness the potentials of the locals to become productive and increase their lifetime earnings.

Thus, this study attempted to assess human capital with respect to the local demand in tourism to provide interventions. Mendis et al. in 2007 introduced the Community Capacity Theory which considers two concepts that are important. These are community stability and community well-being. The present study focused on the Human capital alone which is the basic element in developing an eco-friendly tourism in Siruma, Camarines Sur. This research assessed the human capital requirement in tourism, and the skills the locals already have. This included skills matching and job matching which are expected to springboard the prioritization of policy and program interventions in local tourism. All these efforts will make tourism contribute to the economic development in the locality and at the same time promote sustainable tourism in Siruma, Camarines Sur.

OBJECTIVES

General Objective

The primary objective of this study was to assess human capital with respect to the local demand in tourism to prioritize interventions.

Specific objectives

Specifically, this study attempted:

1. To identify the size and quality of the demand for human capital in tourism in the locality.

2. To describe the extent the local human capital match the demand in tourism in the locality,

and

3. To determine the needed policy and program interventions to be prioritized to enhance human capital matching in local tourism.

METHODOLOGY

The study used a descriptive research design and it used a qualitative approach. It used the Participatory Action Research (PAR) which can be traced from the works of Paulo Freire and others in Latin America which emphasized on participation, capability building, ownership of knowledge and empowerment. It is basically an extractive and intellectual exercise in the local communities to bring real, visible organizational structures, effective local advocacy, and a durable change in power relations.

The respondents of the study were the tourism stakeholders such as the resort owners, food servers, safety and security providers, and some locals. In addition, the local officials of Siruma such as the Tourism Officer, and Municipal Planning Officer attended. No tour guides, boatmen, souvenir makers, and transportation providers attended the FGD. These are the “supposed stakeholders “yet not defined and existing in Siruma. Primary and secondary data were used in the study. Primary data were those that have been generated from the FGD session, and KII. Secondary data were taken from references and some internet sources relevant to the study. However, no Municipal Tourism Development Plan (MTDP) and only a list of resorts was used as secondary sources since tourism is still in the process of being developed in Siruma.

Specifically, Focus Group Discussion (FGD), Key Informant Interview (KII), and observation were the data gathering tools used. Fourteen (14) key people were gathered to answer the focus questions prepared by the researcher. Interviews were done with the locals, and the key people in the community. To triangulate the data, an observation was used. In the conduct of FGD and KII, health protocols were observed. Data analysis was qualitative. Themes were derived from the responses of the respondents of the FGD and KII. Insights and implications were drawn based from the responses.

The locale of the study were the coastal barangays in Siruma, Camarines Sur.

Figure 1. Map of Siruma, Camarines Sur.

Source: LGU Siruma

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This study primarily assessed the human capital with respect to the local demand in tourism to prioritize interventions. Specifically, it attempted to: 1.) identify the size and quality of the demand for human capital in tourism in the locality. 2.) describe the extent the local human capital match the demand in tourism in the locality, and 3.) determine the needed policy and program interventions to enhance human capital matching in local tourism.

Siruma is an emerging tourism destination in Bicol Region. Its pristine beaches and breathtaking landscape and seascape captivate the hearts of local and foreign tourists. This eco-friendly destination needs to be developed but in such a way that while the tourists enjoy the natural bounty, they also observe the economic, social, and environmental considerations of Siruma. The International Ecotourism Society (2015) defined Eco-friendly tourism, sometimes called “green travel” but widely known as ecotourism, as “a responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the locals, and involves interpretation and education.” This definition emphasizes three things – conservation, local communities, and personal learnings. Ecotourists must then preserve the flora and fauna while in the natural environment. Their activities must be eco-friendly and must promote the environmental integrity of the tourism destination. Ecotourists must also respect the culture, beliefs and rights of the locals and empower then towards economic stability. The experiences and personal learnings of the ecotourists must increase their appreciation for the ecotourism destinations, the local community, and their way of life. It is also a basic belief in ecotourism that while tourists enjoy the natural wonders, they have to enjoy responsibly. In fact, the money earned from tourists are returned back through the conservation and preservation of the tourist destinations.

Defining the dream of the locals for Siruma.

Siruma has tourism resources that remain undiscovered. Only few locals are aware of these resources including its potential as an economic driver. Being a fourth class municipality, the locals can feel their difficulty to survive the ever increasing cost of living. Majority of the population in Siruma are financially challenged and are living below the poverty line. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) stated that the poverty incidence in the country increased from 21.1 percent to 23.7 percent during the first half of 2021. This is 3.9 million more Filipinos living in poverty.

In the Focus Group Discussion, all FGD participants dream big for Siruma. With excitement, they believe Siruma has a huge tourism potential in eco-friendly destinations. First among their dreams is to make Siruma known in Bicol and in the Philippines. They want to be known for their rich resources and the people. They identified their Interesting attractions in all parts of Siruma and some unique tourism activities.

Ecotourism attractions in Siruma

The table below shows the eco-friendly tourist attractions in Siruma as identified by the participants. Siruma is surrounded by five bays namely, San Miguel, Siruma, Sapinitan, Butawanan, and San Vicente Bay. Most attractions are situated in the coastal barangays particularly in the northern part of Siruma, Butawanan, an island which has an approximate area of 7.49 square kilometers and roughly has a coastline length of 15.44 kilometers. These attractions are presently existing and enjoyed by the local and foreign tourists.

TABLE 1 “ECO-FRIENDLY TOURISM ATTRACTIONS IN SIRUMA.

Location in Siruma	Eco-Friendly Tourism Attraction
Butawanan	-Mountain trail for trekking -fish sanctuary (69 hectares with varied fish species, seashells, sea urchin, seaweeds, and corals) – rock formations facing Pacific ocean -natural running water
Butawanan and San Jose	-Island hopping -Turtle-like island called Dorukoy which is more than 1 hectare -With crystal clear water and tropical fish species seasnake-walo walo
Pinitan	-fish sanctuary (59 hectares with varied fish species, seashells, sea urchin, seaweeds, and corals) -falls
San Ramon	-natural running water -rolling hills with sea of grass -wildlife habitat for ukay and Phil cobra, owl, falcon, other birds species, and seasnake walo walo -diverse seagrass bed, coral reefs, and mangrove forests
Vito	– suhoton cave
Bagong Sirang	– wildlife habitat for crow
Tongo Bantigue	-wild duck/papan, mangrove forests
Bahao	-goto /wild lizard -mangrove forests -rolling hills (campsite)
San Miguel Bay	-rock formation in the middle of the sea

The participants expressed that they have so much to offer as eco-friendly tourism destinations. In the FGD, the participants expressed their desire to develop other potential tourism attractions. These are Siruma EcoPark in Mt. Tinaluhungan in Bagong Sirang; Siruma Mangrove Forest Park, a 30 hectare mangrove area where they plan to include learning materials, souvenir items, and kayaking gears; and the potential of windmills as a tourism attraction and a way of generating energy for the community. The participants highlighted their difficulty in electrical supply where they only consume full electric power until 6 o’clock in the evening.

Developments include integrating tourism lessons in the SHS curriculum. They believe that appreciation and love for tourism development must start among the young children in school. Improving connectivity is also a must to reach tourist destinations particularly in barangays San Ramon, Pinitan, Vito, Bagong Sirang, Fundado, and San Andres. Without well-paved, cemented, and comfortable roads, the tourists will be constrained in visiting, exploring, and appreciating the richness of Siruma.

These existing ecotourism attractions have to be improved and made competitive because essentially ecotourism attractions are economic drivers. It generates more jobs as the community as they accept more tourists. FGD results revealed that in Siruma, 15 to 20 percent of the tourists are foreigners who are ready to splurge their money for relaxation.

Eco-tourism activities

Tourists come for various purposes. Most come for relaxation in the beach through family outing, office teambuilding or R&R activities. Others are riders, bikers, and vloggers. Others come for events such as wedding, baptism, photo shoot, or pre-nup. And one movie outfit had a location shoot in Siruma and tried to catch the beautiful sceneries.

The FGD participants observe that more guests stay overnight due to its distance from Naga City and others intend to savor the beautiful sunrise and sunset. Some stay only for a day, a respite from the busy and noisy city.

The FGD participants all expressed that the activity that tourists enjoy is island hopping using the motor boats of fisherfolks. Other activities they can enjoy are picking clams or locally known as takal, activity for organized divers, kayaking, and snorkeling. These eco-friendly tourism activities can provide employment to the locals. As observed by all respondents, they experience out-migration for lack of job opportunities. Graduates move out of Siruma because they cannot find local employment in the municipality. They either work in the nearby cities Naga, Iriga, Legaspi or in Manila. For them, it implies that that eventually their children will not be able to work and help improve their hospitality and tourism sector since there are no employment opportunities and much better opportunities await them elsewhere.

In terms of developing their tourism attractions, all FGD participants expressed that development are basically initiated by private investors living outside Siruma. They think barangay officials and locals must participate in the development.

According to Mr. Wilson Duhaylungsod, the CSO-Representative (MAPFC),

“We observe that many coastal areas and farmlands are now being sold to investors. We feel the need for the barangay officials to be aggressive and demonstrate strong political will. Offices must be strict in granting permits. In fact, records show that of the 22 resorts, only four have their permits.”

Human Capital Demand in Siruma, Camarines Sur

In pursuing this eco-friendly tourism destinations, it is important that the size and quality of human capital be determined. With the current situation where Siruma is just starting to develop eco-friendly tourism attractions, it is difficult for the participants to identify the size and quality of demand for human capital. However, the locals were able to identify the tourist arrival for the previous year, and the local demand for manpower to serve the tourists. They also identified their stakeholders for eco-friendly tourism. They likewise noted the figures by Statistica Research Department (2022) which stated that in the Philippines, tourist arrival in 2019 was 8.26 million foreign tourists and decreased drastically to about 0.16 million in 2021. This is due to the covid-19 pandemic where a nationwide lockdown was implemented. Similar trend was observed in Siruma.

However much as the locals want to know the exact number of tourist arrivals, these are not closely monitored by the Tourism Office. The Local Government of Siruma does not have an office that records the number of tourists coming in the community. As a practice, tourists go directly to the tourist attraction they like to visit. Of the 22 resorts, only four are registered. From among these 22, only four gave an estimate of their number of guests per year. It appeared that the LGU-managed resort, had the highest arrivals estimated at 24,000 per year. This may be attributed to the fact that among the resorts, this has the lowest entrance fee and practically the facilities are affordable. Other resorts however cannot be monitored as to their number of guests for lack of a monitoring system.

TABLE 2 RESORTS WITH RECORDED TOURIST ARRIVAL IN 2021.

Resort	Approximate number of guests/tourists per year
1	24,000
2	18,000
3	8,600
4	8,600

Majority of the FGD participants believe that one way to monitor the tourist arrival is to assign a Barangay-based staff to monitor the number of tourist arrival. This way, all barangays can submit a monthly report to the Tourism Office. One participant asserted that the newly-constructed Tourism Office situated before the población or Siruma proper can best monitor every tourist that visits Siruma.

Human resources in the resorts

The human resources in Siruma in tourism attractions are limited and not so specialized for the job. From the four resorts, it was gathered that the manpower are locals doing multi tasks and are not graduates of tourism and hospitality. Further, they have not attended trainings to enhance their capacity as a receptionist, cook, food server, housekeeper, or transport provider. An interview with the caretaker of Amuris Resort, Mrs. Marivic Guarino revealed that,

“We have a Function Hall that can accommodate 600 participants. Guests use it for weddings, baptism, and for seminars. We also have 10 cottages, and 2 rooms for overnight stay but our problem is water and the toilets need to be improved.”

“As to manpower, all we have are 10 utility workers who take charge of the cleanliness of the resort. They can also cook for the guests if they request. They do multitask in the resort. We do not have a hospitality or tourism graduate in the resort”

The receptionist of Coco Chi Beach Resort, Miss Milky Sape, also said,

“Our facilities include 11 open cottages and 8 new gazebo. We plan to open a building where a grocery store and canteen will be built to cater to the needs of the guests. Right now, we allow our guests to bring their own food.”

“We have very few utility workers and we do not have hospitality and tourism graduate to help us in the operation of the resort but we know they are needed here.”

These responses from the sample resorts showed that resorts in Siruma despite their limited opportunity to absorb hospitality graduates were able to employ locals to assume the tasks in the resorts. To serve the guests effectively and efficiently, the FGD participants expressed that there must be at least two tourism and hospitality graduates in each resort. It appears however that resorts do not attract graduates whether a local or from nearby municipalities and whether before or after the covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, data show that there were about 4.9 million people working in the tourism industry in the country which shows a slight increase since the start of pandemic in 2020. The highest recorded number of employees in the industry was in 2019. (Statistics Research Department, 2022) Given these data, resorts and other eco-friendly tourism attractions in Siruma need to be competitive to attract graduates to seek employment in these local destinations. In addition, they also have to study the skills needs in their locality and assess what interventions are appropriate to provide and sustain the skills supply. According to the Institute of Employment Studies, the skills demand are confined in two areas. These are on 1.) Analyses of current and future skills needs at national, regional, occupational and sectoral levels, and 2.) Evaluations of specific interventions and advice on policy choices and designs to improve the depth and type of skills supply and use at national, sectoral, regional, occupational and organizational levels.

Skills inventory, Skills matching, and job matching

The extent of how the local human capital matches the demand in tourism in Siruma, Camarines Sur is an important area in this study. The skills inventory, skills matching, and job matching are essential concepts that need to be understood.

A skills inventory is the collection of skills, education, and experiences of employees which enumerates the professional expertise, attributes, and abilities of the workforce. It is an updated record of the present skills and missing skills which can be points of consideration in short-term and long-term planning. Skills matching is the appropriateness of the skills by the candidate to the current need in the company. Ultimately, job matching is the process of hiring the right person for the right job. Therefore, skills inventory, skills matching, and job matching are three related and important concepts in human resources in Siruma.

Since the tourism industry in the locality is in its infancy stage, it was rather difficult for the FGD participants to identify the skills they have, the skills they need, and what jobs are needed. However, after a careful discussion with the group, they were able to describe the following.

They were able to identify that there is a huge demand for manpower in the tourism and hospitality industry. At present, they need professionals to work in the resorts. As they observed, the present resort staff do multiple tasks daily to accommodate the guests. They act as the receptionists, the cook, the food servers, the utility worker, and the overseer of the resort. They have not even attended formal trainings on the job and related tasks they do in the resorts. Their salaries are not also competitive than those who work in hotels and restaurants in the cities. Many literatures show that salaries and benefits are a great factor for graduates to work in the industry. These include remuneration/salary, allowance, holidays, promotion, working conditions, bonuses, commissions, medical insurance, and non-monetary benefits (Nyamwange, J., 2016; & Stalmašeková et al., 2017). However, Hazra et al. (2018) mentioned that hygienic factors such as wages, fringe benefits, physical conditions, and overall company policies, administration creates job satisfaction but does not motivate employees. Motivational factors like recognition, feeling of accomplishment and achievement, an opportunity of advancement and potential for personal growth, responsibility and some of the job, new experience and challenging work, create satisfaction among employees expressed by Danish and Usman, 2010 and Chandan, 2005.

The demand for quality service requires professionals in the industry. They all agree that in every resort, there must be tourism and hospitality graduates that attend to the receiving and accommodation of guests, housekeeping, food service, and other demands while guests are in. Once the guests are satisfied, that will ensure their repeated visits and remarkable impressions of Siruma.

With this scenario, the FGD participants were able to identify the “missing skills” rather than the existing skills. When the list of technical or hard skills and non-technical or soft skills were shown to them, they all realized that their current manpower in the resort needs technical skills in the tourism and hospitality industry such as tour guiding, housekeeping, front office skill, food and beverage skill, food preparation/food service or catering skill, and information technology. The non-technical skills are problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, interpersonal, customer service skill, resiliency skill, flexibility/adaptability, cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication, and souvenir-making.

The technical skills are developed in the colleges and universities as mandated by CHED Memorandum Order # 62 on BS Hospitality Tourism Management series of 2012 while most of the non-technical or soft skills are similarly honed in schools but are widely developed in their constant exposure at work and with people. Weber and Crawford (2016) show the distinction of hard skills and soft skills as outlined by various authors like Clark, 1993; Wellington, 2005; and Rainsbury, Hodges, Burchell, & Lay, 2002. Hard skills are normally associated with technical aspects of performing a job. These skills usually require the acquisition of knowledge, and are primarily cognitive in nature, and are influenced by an individual’s intelligence quotient score. Soft skills are defined as the interpersonal, human, people, or behavioral skills needed to apply technical skills and knowledge in the workplace (Kantrowitz, 2005; Rainsbury, Hodges, Burchell, & Lay, 2002). The concepts of hard and soft skills defines the characteristics of successful hospitality practitioners.

Expectedly, since they are in tourism and hospitality industry, they need to equally develop soft skills like giving quality service and understanding specific needs of guests, and knowing the culture and cultural diversity of foreign tourists and communicating with them in their language or at the least in a second language, English. Theron et al. (2018) stressed that working in the tourism and hospitality industry requires necessary attributes to make the students versatile at work. The study further expressed that tourism graduates should develop the skills to meet the needs and expectations in the industry. It highlighted necessary knowledge and skill in customer service/awareness, ethical conduct at work, verbal communication, acceptance of responsibility, attention to detail, ability to work under pressure. Similarly Busarin and Chokechai (2017) emphasizes that convention hotel employees perform well if they possess these comprehensive 21st century learning skills. They will satisfy the expectations of guests that will lead to the success of convention hotel. This supports the idea that for the tourism industry to prosper in Siruma, the community itself must be capacitated to lead and sustain their efforts in tourism development. Every local must possess the knowledge and skill on the task required of him. With the limited skills the locals have today, the Policy on Skills Enhancement need to be implemented to enhance the human capital matching in the growing local tourism.

Priority Policy and Program Interventions

Community capacity has a huge influence on tourism development. It involves innate capacity of the locals to spearhead tourism initiatives. There are two related definitions of community capacity. According to the Western Australian Department for Community Development (2006), “Community capacity building is about promoting the ‘capacity’ of local communities to develop, implement and sustain their own solutions to problems in a way that helps them shape and exercise control over their physical, social, economic and cultural environments. And another definition from the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is that “Community capacity building is the continuous process required to foster the pride and appropriate local leadership that allows communities, through their members, to take responsibility for their own development. These definitions highlight the strength of the community to take the lead in providing sustainable solutions to problems towards development.

With the able leadership of the Local Chief Executive, Siruma can develop their tourism potential far and beyond. Together with the locals, they can develop sustainable livelihoods in eco-friendly tourism and provide practical and sustainable solutions to their economic challenges. It cannot perform less in the midst of its abundance in tourism resources.

a. Policy on Skills Enhancement

Human capital is one of the productivity drivers in tourism. One policy that the FGD participants had identified is on Skills Enhancement. To sustain tourism development requires capacitating the locals on tourism competencies. These competencies are on tour guiding, housekeeping, front office, food and beverage, food preparation/food service/catering, and information technology. Preferably, all will be required to acquire National Certificate at TESDA for every competency. In addition, The FGD participants recommended that intensive trainings on homestay, packaging of travel itineraries, bartending, emergency response training, value formation, and entrepreneurship are needed. The study of Ondieki (2016) showed that the inadequate capacity building contributes to low participation of stakeholders in Monitoring and Evaluation of community projects in Kisii Town. Based on the findings the research recommended for capacity building trainings so that the stakeholders can increase their community participation and service delivery. Similarly in this project, the tourism stakeholders, at present, have inadequate capacity building interventions and they need to be trained to build their capacity in handling eco-friendly tourism activities. They will have more confidence in participating if they are equipped with skills needed in tourism and hospitality. In the case of tourism in United Kingdom, Blake et al. (2006) likewise stressed the importance of government policy for trainings of employees where the tourism businesses invest less for fear of losing the employees to other tourism businesses and other related industries.

This supports the idea that for the tourism industry to prosper in Siruma, the community itself must be capacitated to lead and sustain their efforts in tourism development. Every local must possess the knowledge and skill on the task required of him. With the limited skills the locals have today, the Policy on Skills Enhancement need to be implemented to enhance the human capital matching in the growing local tourism.

b. Policy on Tourism Productivity

Another policy to formulate is the Policy on Tourism Productivity. This policy will include the motivations and satisfaction of tourism and hospitality professionals while they work in the local tourism industry. Employees that are well-motivated stay long in the tourism industry. The study of Harza et al. (2018) shows that a sound compensation package has an impact on the employee commitment in the hospitality industry which results to greater productivity and employee turnover. This policy must connect the commitment of its employees to their overall compensation package to make them more productive. There must be a fair and standardized compensation package for all.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

From the foregoing discussion of results, this study came up with the following conclusions:

Results showed that Siruma as an emerging tourism destination, has a high demand for tourism and hospitality professionals, yet presently, only few locals are engaged in resorts and doing multitasks. The 22 resorts need professionals to meet the demands of the guests.

These few locals has certain abilities but they are not equipped with the technical or hard skills and non-technical or soft skills expected in the tourism and hospitality industry. FGD participants were able to identify the “missing skills” rather than the existing skills. These are technical skills on tour guiding, housekeeping, front office skill, food and beverage skill, food preparation/food service or catering skill, and information technology. The non-technical skills needed are problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, interpersonal, customer service skill, resiliency skill, flexibility/adaptability, cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication, and souvenir-making.

Two policies are deemed important to be formulated. These are 1.) Policy on Skills Enhancement to harness the capacity of the locals working in resorts, and 2) Policy on Tourism Productivity to ensure that the hospitality employees are well-compensated and develop a deeper commitment in the tourism industry.

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