First tourism students’ convention set in Cebu

More than 1,000 tourism and hospitality students from different universities in Cebu will gather at the SM Center on October 11 for the first-ever League of Tourism Students (LTS) convention aimed at honing the skills of the students to prepare them for the real world of tourism.

Organized by the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas), Department of Tourism, and the Province of Cebu, the first tourism students’ convention is eyed as a perfect venue for students to learn about the industry beyond the four walls of their classrooms.

"There will be resource speakers from the industry who will share their knowledge [with] the students to [prepare] them...to meet the challenges of tourism and hospitality worldwide," said Naitas chairman emeritus and LTS founder Robert Lim Joseph.

At least 15 universities have already confirmed participation for the event, said Joseph, stressing that the current curriculum offered in schools does not make a tourism graduate 100 percent ready for the real world.

"There are things that can be learned in schools and there are things that can be learned based on experiences of industry movers. The convention, hopefully, will give the students a glimpse of the industry in reality," said Joseph.

Naitas earlier urged universities and colleges to upgrade their tourism curriculums in order to produce students who will have the skills and training relevant to the current demand of the industry.

Joseph, who is also the Honorary Consul to the Republic of Latvia, said he will coordinate with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in updating the current tourism offerings of colleges and universities nationwide after finding out that the current curriculum used is no longer up-to-date.

"We are not blaming anyone for this. It’s just that we really need to upgrade the curriculum to meet or even exceed the demand of the industry worldwide," Joseph said.

Joseph added that tourism students, including those taking up tourism and hotel and restaurant management, must be equipped with skills training relevant to the current demand. Educators should also ensure that they possess the values and attitudes that will make them competitive once they graduate.

Naitas has already received the approval of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano in its endeavor to upgrade the curriculum of schools offering tourism-related courses, said Joseph. He said Naitas will assist schools in making sure that they offer the latest techniques and skills to their students and in upgrading laboratories.