Two short-term skill-upgrading programs aimed at boosting the tourism industry of Negros Occidental were launched at the Sugarland Hotel in Bacolod City yesterday.

La Consolacion College-Bacolod and VMA Global College launched their Asian Culinary Skills Enhancement and Kitchen Management, and Housekeeping Training Management programs, respectively.

The launching was made in cooperation with the German Technical Cooperation-Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable Employment Program.

The programs will help enable workers in the tourism industry to enhance their skills so that more tourists will visit Negros Occidental, GTZ-SMEDSEP program officer Lorenzo Templonuevo said.

"Tourists are very demanding so the tourism workers need to know how to handle them properly," he said.

The purpose of the launching dubbed "The Launch: Tourism Service Enhancement Program" is to let the entire tourism industry of the province know that such programs exist, he added.

Templonuevo said the programs also aim to promote Negros Occidental as a province rather than the different tourists destinations having separate promotions.

"There is a great promise of tourism in Negros, but it has not reached its full potential because it is not promoting itself to the tourists as a whole province," he said.

"According to our researches, the advantages of Negros over the other provinces is it has interesting tourism packages, products and services that could be offered to the tourists," he added.

Templonuevo said that, with the assistance of the new programs, a greater interest will be instilled in tourists because the workers in the tourism industry like hotels and resorts will have better skills to serve them.

The Asian Culinary Skills Enhancement and Kitchen Management program will begin in the last week of April, while the Housekeeping Training Module program will start in June or July, he said.

LCC-Bacolod, with the assistance of GTZ-SMEDSEP, is also planning to hold Food and Beverage Pricing, and Food Services programs soon, he added.

Those who want to enroll in the skill-upgrading programs may inquire personally at LCC-Bacolod or VMA Global College, he said. *CIT

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