The Department of Tourism in Central Visayas is calling on tourism and hospitality schools to take a more active role in preserving and promoting Cebu’s cultural heritage as the region seeks to strengthen its tourism workforce and improve experiences for visitors.
DOT-7 Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Gelena Asis-Dimpas said universities and colleges can contribute beyond classroom training, particularly because many campuses are located close to historic sites and major tourism attractions. She made the appeal during the University of San Jose-Recoletos’ celebration of the 59th ASEAN Founding Anniversary.
USJ-R is located within Cebu City’s Heritage District, putting its students and faculty near landmarks that reflect the city’s history, traditions and cultural identity. Asis-Dimpas encouraged members of the academic community to engage visitors through informal walking tours and conversations explaining the stories behind nearby heritage sites.
She said even simple interactions with tourists can contribute to the local economy by creating meaningful visitor experiences and encouraging spending on accommodations, food, transportation, tours and other tourism-related services.
The initiative also reflects a broader push to strengthen cooperation between the tourism industry and academic institutions. DOT-7 is encouraging schools to keep tourism and hospitality curricula responsive to changing industry requirements, while expanding internships, industry-immersion programs and DOT-accredited training opportunities.
One example is Project H.A.R.A.N.A., or Hosting ASEAN with Readiness, Authenticity, Nationalism, and Agility. The program brought together tourism workers, volunteers, faculty members and students to support visitor reception, arrivals, billeting and tour operations during major ASEAN activities held in Central Visayas.
Cebu hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum in January and the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in May, bringing foreign leaders, delegates and other visitors to the region. The events provided opportunities to showcase Cebu’s tourism infrastructure as well as its cultural and historical attractions.
The region has also been strengthening heritage tourism through more formal preservation efforts. Cebu’s provincial government is expanding its 2026 Cultural Mapping Program, working with local tourism offices, communities, Museo Sugbo and universities to document tangible and intangible heritage and incorporate cultural assets into long-term tourism planning.
Cebu’s heritage attractions have already been incorporated into tourism experiences such as the Paglantaw: A Heritage Tour of Old Cebu, which features sites including Magellan’s Cross, the Basilica del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro and Casa Gorordo. The tour was developed for the 2026 ASEAN Tourism Forum and later featured during ASEAN-related activities.
For DOT-7, closer cooperation with schools could help produce tourism professionals who are not only trained in hospitality but are also familiar with the history, traditions and cultural assets of the destinations they represent.
As Cebu continues to attract international visitors and position itself as a tourism and education hub, the push places greater emphasis on making heritage part of the visitor experience while ensuring that local communities and the next generation of tourism professionals have a role in preserving the stories that distinguish the region.
