THE Certified Switzerland Specialist programme for travel consultants was launched recently in the Philippines as one of the stepped-up measures to bring more tourists from the nascent source market.
The programme is an online course for travel consultants to become “our ambassadors” in the Philippines, said Ivan Breiter, Switzerland Tourism’s director for South-east Asia. Completing the course gives consultants the edge by offering them a certified specialist logo for display on any of their collaterals.
Vietnam and the Philippines will be the latest South-east Asian nations being offered the programme with the course already being offered in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Breiter noted that since Switzerland Tourism started promoting in the Philippines a year ago, the number of overnight stays has grown 24.3 per cent to 30,000. He expects a yearly growth rate of 15 per cent from the Philippines until 2018 to 45,000 room nights.
Switzerland Tourism also have plans to place a dedicated person in the Switzerland Embassy in Manila take care of tourism promotions in the Philippines by 2017.
