MANILA, September 12 (MANILA) - The Philippines' Department of Tourism (DOT) team bagged the 1st place award in an Action Plan Development Competition during the 2019 Korea Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Tourism (KOPIST) High-Level Policy Forum and Working-Level Workshop recently held in Jeju and Seoul, South Korea.

Tourism officers Rey Jean Almazan and Rochelle Ann Eneria from the DOT Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management (OTDPRIM) represented the country in the contest participated by 10 partner-nations during the competition on July 5, 2019.

The Philippines' winning action plan "Development of an Innovative Tourism-Related Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise Network" aims to support tourism-oriented MSMEs in the country through the creation of a framework mechanism that would link local investors and increase the viability of existing and new enterprises. By providing technical assistance, it aims to attain capacity development and access to funding, and envisions increased job generation for the tourism industry.

Sri Lanka came out as 1st runner-up while Paraguay and Mongolia tied at 2nd runner-up. The other participants include: Cambodia, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Peru, and Viet Nam.

According to DOT, the 11-day working-level workshop was organized to enhance the knowledge, skills and understanding of the participating countries to support sustainable tourism development through a series of lectures and field trips in selected areas in Korea.

These activities focused on enhancing the tourism development action plan proposed by each country by providing on-site training and in-depth consulting.

Meanwhile, as a result of the winning action plan presentation, the Philippines is eligible for an extensive project development training program and an Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the government of the Republic of Korea. (PIA InfoComm/DOT)