MANILA, Philippines - Philippines needs to develop at least 5 million additional workers for the tourism and hospitality industry between now and 2016 if the country hopes to achieve its goal of attracting 10 million foreign visitors in four years.
Samie Lim, vice president for tourism of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said this need is based on the 1:1 rule of thumb, or one worker per tourist, that the World Tourism Organization is using.
“We are now attracting more than 3 million foreign tourists and between now and 2016, our target is to attract 10 million. So that [need for] 5 million additional workers is very conservative, especially since we are also losing our best people because they get pirated abroad,” Lim told the BusinessMirror on Friday.
