On 12 July 2019, the Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) College of Hospitality and Institutional Management (CHIM), in partnership with Rajah Travel Corporation (RTC), hosted the Travel Talk entitled “Innovation and Technology: Shaping Tourism Jobs in the Next Decade” at the San Lorenzo Hall, Valenzuela Campus.
CHIM Dean Dr. Ignacio Cordova formally welcomed the attendees of the forum, which consisted of tourism educators and students from various universities in the Philippines who are eager to learn from respected industry professionals.
According to him, the event is a “sectoral engagement”, which in itself is valuable as it links the academe and the industry. He likewise raised the challenge for the tourism education sector to produce “future-proof graduates”, stressing that innovation and technology can greatly contribute to its fulfillment. “It is high time for us to develop graduates that are for future jobs, that are for future employment”, he said.
This was followed by an inspirational message from RTC Tourism Knowledge Center Executive Director Rolando Cañizal, who warmly expressed gratitude to the University, as well as the audience and other participating organizations.
For the event’s first panel session, “Innovation and Automation: Impact on Tourism Jobs and Organization”, speakers from renown companies in the tourism industry shared their insights on technology, its latest developments and influence on future career paths. Included in the line-up were: Andy Michaels Lim, Managing Director – Greater China and South East Asia, Business Travel of Amadeus; Aileen Clemente, Chairman and President of Rajah Travel Corporation; and Timothy Su, Senior Sales and Marketing Manager of Contiki Holidays.
Forecasts on jobs, as well as overviews of the growth of the tourism industry were discussed in the initial series of talks. Speaker Lim also encouraged the students that, while technology can make big changes overnight, it will not be the same without humans. “Rest assured that technology cannot work without people; it cannot work without you. Believe in yourself, leverage off technology, and with that, may I hopefully inspire you to fast forward into the future”, he closed.
Su, on the other hand, advised future jobseekers on exceeding average expectations and perceived limitations. “Gone are the days when being good at your job is just sufficient You have to ask ‘why?’; how do you challenge yourself?”, he said.
The second panel session, entitled “New Tourism Skills and Competencies in the Midst of Automation and ASEAN Integration”, was graced by esteemed guests from the education and training sector. They were: Aline Magalong, Assistant Chief Education Program Specialist at the Office of Program and Standards Development, Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Ma. Isabel Gamurot, Chief of the Competency Standards Development Division, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); and Dr. John Paolo Rivera, Associate Director of the Dr. Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism, Asian Institute of Management.
In his talk, Dr. Rivera urged members of the academe, “Let’s teach them (the students) not to hate technology; rather, [we should teach them] to improve their ‘perception and manipulation tasks’, ‘creative intelligence skills’ and ‘social intelligence’”, referring to what Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne defined as “engineering bottlenecks to computerization” in their scholarly article “The Future of Employment: How Susceptible are Jobs to Computerization?” published in 2013. Addressing everyone, he also said, “If you don’t want technology to replace you, be a human; do not try to mimic technology. Maximize your difference from technology, which is the element of being human.”
For both sessions, members of the audience were given opportunities to ask questions, clarify points, and share their thoughts. These were moderated by Dr. Maria Cherrylyn Rodolfo of the RTC’s Tourism Knowledge Center.
This edition of the Travel Talk was supported by the following schools: Our Lady of Fatima University, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Holy Trinity University, San Beda College Alabang, Holy Name University, and PATTS College of Aeronautics.
