Tourism and Hospitality

The tourism industry in the Philippines is constantly growing as the Philippine is

becoming a premier choice of vacation place for many tourists from all over the world. Tourism
is considered as one of the main trade and industry activities in the world that contributes to
economic, cultural and political advancement of various regions. Tourism offers great
opportunities for emerging economies and developing countries. It creates jobs, strengthens the
local economy, contributes to local infrastructure development and can help to conserve the
natural environment and cultural assets and traditions, and to reduce poverty and inequality.

When the pandemic happened, one of the most visible impacts of COVID-19 in our
country was seen in our industry. Our country’s economy has decreased and thousands of jobs
are terminated due to COVID-19. As the pandemic has risen, the department of tourism strongly
prohibited all tourism activities causing our economy to shatter. It’s a good thing that tourism in
our country is recovering from the pandemic that we are slowly adjusting to the new normal. We
have transitioned out of the original crisis, the lockdown and closed borders. Now, the industry is
open and actively conducting commercial activities, but in a very different way. And we survived
this with the help of the Tourism and Hospitality Organizations rebuilding the tourism. They
developed collaborative systems across borders to safely resume travel, restored traveler and
business confidence, stimulated demand and accelerated tourism recovery.

As we look forward, past the coronavirus pandemic and into an economic recovery,
sustainability in the hospitality industry must be our top priority. I am confident that tourism in the
Philippines will achieve better success after this pandemic. As the days go on, Filipinos have
been more aware and paying more attention to protecting the environment and saving natural
resources. And I think this will be the key for better success if we also make this our top priority.
The industry is starting to practice sustainability and implement systems and programs.
Sustainability is important for us people to improve the quality of our lives, protect our
ecosystem and preserve natural resources for future generations. I believe that the country can
do more towards achieving its Sustainable Development Goals, especially in terms of
renewable energy, building sustainable communities and cities, and responsible consumption
and production, policies and programs are laid down to correct the course and improve the
country’s overall performance.

The things I mentioned above were the things that are pinned in my mind. The Macro
Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality has helped me gain a better understanding and
knowledge about my industry, which will surely help me make a small contribution to my country.
This subject also helps my personal development. When the pandemic started, I lost my
confidence and social skills in class. I'm scared of presenting myself in class or even reciting,
socializing with classmates, and struggling to adjust to a new environment. Sometimes, when
I'm behind in class, my anxiety starts to crawl on me, causing me to panic. These feelings and
emotions just started because of a pandemic, because of the online class. I feel like I'm still
stuck in 2019 and have gained nothing in knowledge and skills. But this subject, since it is the
only mandatory class I have, has greatly improved me. I'm adjusting to the face-to-face classes
and gathering my confidence in class. This subject helped me to reassure myself about the
course I'm taking. I'm excited to be part of the industry and do something relevant that will
improve our country. Making a small gesture and change could make a big impact. I appreciate
that I can understand and be aware of the things that've been happening in our industry. And I
hope we can make a change by spreading awareness and doing something good or big to
make our country a better place.