Pivot towards recovery: An integrated action research on jumpstarting a tourism product development program to support the Philippine tourism industry stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Main Author: Concel, Jamille Francine A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Tourism > Philippines; Business Administration, Management, and Operations
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_manorg/27; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_manorg/article/1017/viewcontent/Concel3.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

This action research aims to create a program that supports the Philippine Tourism Industry Stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the United Nations World Travel Organization Product Development Handbook (2011) and the guiding tools of Integrative Action Research (IAR), I, the action researcher, and my collaborators intend to create a Product Development Program. The program shall update and upskill the tourism industry front liners, such as tour operators, hotel owners, employees, restaurant owners, etc., regarding the growing Israeli market.The first cycle centers on organizing the online webinar called Meet Israel 101: Hebrew Language Course and Kosher-Friendly Cuisine Food Demonstration, which yielded positive results from the private sector industry. On the other hand, the second cycle focuses on further collaborating with the Israel Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ICCP) in organizing another webinar. This cycle was challenging to implement because of the continued restricting factors like the pandemic, which refrains us from further cultivating the program. Fortunately, the collaborators revisited our priorities and action plan using the action research tools and agreed to continue using digital platforms and strengthening our partnership with the ICCP to support the webinars. The outcome of both cycles showed a significant increase in the knowledge of the tourism industry stakeholders regarding the Israeli market. Furthermore, based on my interviews with my collaborators, the project significantly contributed to product development and to uplifting our mandate as a government agency.Overall, this action research is the brainchild of the collaborative minds of the DOT and the ICCP stakeholders, and it has the common goal of assisting and supporting the tourism stakeholder during this extraordinary time.