The Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing to train at least 7,500 tourism sector workers and village officials in Eastern Visayas on Filipino Brand of Service Excellence this year to help the region improve its tourism agenda.

On Monday, the DOT had initially gathered 300 persons employed in the hospitality industry and some village officials from Leyte in a hotel in Palo town to undergo the hospitality training.

The training included teaching the participant to do the “Mabuhay” gesture, a way of greeting visitors and guests and the “7M” of Filipino values: Maka-Diyos, Makatao, Maka-Kalikasan, Makabansa, Masayahin, May Bayanihan, and May Pag-asa.

In an interview, DOT Eastern Visayas regional director Karina Rosa Tiopes said at least three training every week will be done simultaneously in six provinces until they have covered all the target participants.

The target participants is 20 percent higher than the 6,000 workers trained in 2023, Tiopes said.

She said this is the first time that village officials are included in the hospitality training.

“We have included in the training the village chairmen, youth council chairmen, and village watchmen because we believe that in order to fully demonstrate the good customs of Eastern Visayas in dealing with visitors and tourists, it must start in the community,” she said.

She said they included in the FBSE training representatives from state universities and colleges and private higher learning institutions offering tourism-related courses.

Tiopes said the FBSE training is essential as the region intensified its promotion of making Eastern Visayas as one of the choices for MICE (meeting, incentives, conferences, events) activities.

The region is also preparing for major activities this year, such as the commemoration of Homonhon Landing of Ferdinand Magellan, the celebration of First Easter Mass in Asia in Limasawa Island, the 80th Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration. (PNA)