The School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management (SIHTM) of the University of Baguio in the northern Philippines held its tenth annual International Tourism & Hospitality Students’ Conference (ITHSC) on Friday, 20th February, at the Newtown Plaza Hotel and Convention Centre in Baguio City.
This year’s conference revolved around the theme From Classroom to Community: Advancing Regenerative Tourism Through Education, and featured speakers highlighting diverse aspects of contemporary travel and tourism.
In her opening remarks, Jenelyn Mangagngey-Magpatoc, dean of the UB-SIHTM, declared that the event reaffirms the school’s commitment to ensure that learning will create lasting impact beyond classroom walls to drive the further growth of global tourism, particularly through the concept of regenerative tourism.
She said: “Regenerative tourism challenges us to go further than sustainability, to actively explore, nurture, and give back to the communities and environment we serve. Through our curricula, research extension programmes, and student connections, the academic can be a powerful catalyst in advancing this mission.”
From cultural preservation to urban accessibility
The city of Baguio and the surrounding Mountain Province have long been known for their focus on maintaining the integrity of the natural environment whilst keeping the traditions of its indigenous peoples alive in the present day.
In which case, the talk Communities Shaping Tourism, Tourism Sustaining Communities by Rex Alwin Alquisan, mayor of the municipality of Kabayan, Benguet, struck a chord among attendees as he pointed out the challenges involved in preserving indigenous culture, particularly his municipality's famed fire mummies which are the current citizens' most tenuous link to their heritage and which also highlight the disappearing traditions of the Ibaloi people.
Moving into more contemporary lines, Dr Philip Z Peckson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Asia & the Pacific in Manila, tackled the concept of Revitalising Cities & Heritage Sites Through Walkability-Based Initiatives which explored how walkability-based initiatives could improve urban tourism as well as heritage site management by way of accessibility and better mobility.
Peckson specifically cited the zakkyo [mixed-use structures] common to cities like Tokyo and even Baguio which have long been a measure for urban accessibility as their unique premise of stacking diverse services, including clinics, restaurants, and schools, into a single footprint has helped cities make the most use of available land area and infrastructure.
By doing so, urban areas make basic services and facilities more accessible by concentrating them into a single area, as opposed to the horizontal model which forces residents to travel to perform daily tasks.
In the third talk, Rowena B Gonnay, co-founder of the Slow Food Community in the neighbouring town of Pasil, cast the spotlight on how the global Slow Food movement has empowered indigenous communities throughout the globe, enabling them to maintain their cultural identity despite ongoing challenges involving destructive modern agricultural methods.
Giving the next generation something to think about
Travel Daily Media's own Marga Manlapig took to the floor for the fourth talk Responsible Digital Storytelling: Crafting Meaningful Narratives Online which discussed how authenticity and being factural will enable contemporary content creators stand out in an overwhelming content-saturated environment.
As she pointed out: "The legitimate travel press, both B2B and B2C, are competing neck and neck with online influencers and key opinion leaders to grab the attention of an incredibly fickle audience. You may think that the online folk are gaining ground as they boast of followers in the thousands, if not millions, and that conventional media will soon be obsolete; but I pose a reality check here for you: which of them is authentic and which of them is meaningful?"
Eunkyu "Nick" Chun, membership and youth programme manager for the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) concluded the event with his talk : - .
During the talk, he emphasised the vital role that younger people, especially students, play when it comes to regenerative tourism; he drove the point further by calling delegates onstage to interact with their peers from other schools in order to devise working concepts on how best to approach both sustainable and regenerative tourism.
Chun concluded the event by saying: "It's not about me: it's about you and what you can contribute as students and future professionals in the industry."
Why this conference matters
Initially staged in 2014, the annual ITHSC at the University of Baguio has sought to address the local and global tourism sector's rapid evolution.
As such, it has alwaus focused on five key objectives, namely:
- To provide a platform for the future workforce to gain insights into regenerative tourism initiatives;
- To provide insights on innovative solutions addressing sustainability challenges in the tourism and hospitality industry;
- To display the growing importance of the interrelationship between tourism and networks as an important source of support
for the tourism and hospitality industry; - To create positive awareness of the interrelationship between tourism and networks as an important source of support; and
- To strengthen cooperation and camaraderie among hospitality and tourism institutions, educators, and students.
In the context of regenerative tourism, Mangagngey-Magpatoc said it best: "Our students are at the heart of this movement. When equipped with the right values, skills, and mindset, they become ambassadors of goodwill, modern-day Samaritans who do not merely observe the needs of the community, but choose to act. Whether through small initiatives or transformative projects, every cautious effort contributes to a more regenerative and compassionate today's economy."
