‘Mabuhay’ gesture now seen in tourist attractions, hotels

To show Filipino warmth and welcoming, the "Mabuhay" greetings accompanied by a gesture of putting the right palm on the chest done by tour guides and tourism stakeholders is now evident in various tourist attractions and all Department of Tourism accredited hotels in the country.

The welcoming gesture is part of the DoT's sustained efforts to enhance the DOT's Filipino Brand of Service Excellence, institutionalizing the use of "Mabuhay" and "Salamat" gestures through ordinances.

At present, it was adopted by the provinces of Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, Oriental Mindoro, Capiz, and the municipalities of Malay, Aklan; Bayabas, Surigao Del Sur; Loreto, Dinagat Islands; and Santa Barbara, Iloilo.

Several institutions from the sectors of travel and tours, accommodation, transport, food and beverage, meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions, as well as the government, have also advocated the FBSE culture.

These included the Manila International Airport Authority, Megaworld Corporation, Enchanted Kingdom, Best Western Plus, Hilton Hotels and Resorts as well as industry partners Fastcat, Aguila Auto Glass, SM Retail, SMC Infrastructure Tollways, Jollibee, AllDay, Robinsons Malls, FIBA World Cup, and partners from the academe.

Training tourism frontliners

Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco announced on Sunday that they already breached its target of training 100,000 frontline tourism workers on the

Undertaken by the Office of Industry Manpower Development, the FBSE program is one of the centerpiece programs of the Department which aims to perpetuate Filipino hospitality excellence, and is envisioned to enhance and uplift the quality of tourism services in the country.

This highlights the 7Ms of Filipino values: Maka-Diyos, Makatao, Maka-Kalikasan, Makabansa, Masayahin, May Bayanihan, and May Pag-asa.

As of 13 October 2023, a total of 100,407 tourism workers, across a variety of sectors such as accommodation, travel and tour, transport, academe, MICE, farm tourism, tour guide and tourist police.

To recall, the FBSE was conceptualized by the DOT in 2013 with over 13,000 trained
since its inception.

It was at the helm of Tourism Secretary Frasco when she set the goal of training 100,000 Filipinos, recognizing the potential of the FBSE program to transform the Philippines into Asia's center for hospitality excellence.

The Filipino brand demonstrates immense love, compassionate care, excellent service, and hard work beyond the call of duty— virtues that further sets the Philippines apart as a tourism destination.

"Surpassing our 100,000 target manifests the commitment of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to transform the tourism industry by further capacitating our country's greatest asset – the Filipino people. Their unwavering dedication is the driving force that will propel the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse, radiating the love, warmth, and hospitality that define our nation," said Secretary Frasco.

"We are very happy to share that less than a year since the 100,000 goal for FBSE training has been set, we have already hit more than what we aimed for. We thank our stakeholders for rising to the challenge, as well as the trainers, participants, and our partner institutions who have closely collaborated with us on this initiative," she said.