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Findings of the EU external monitor released
The findings from the monitoring report for the project “Internationalising the Operation of Spas in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia” were released. Here are some of the findings of the report:
The project has established very well-structured and fully documented procedures to follow-up on progress. The project is highly effective in increasing the technical standards of the spa industry.project is generating multiple positive side-effects. It has bolstered the technical credibility of the therapists and boosted their professional self-confidence. Moreover, the inclusion of spa owners as beneficiaries of the CIBTAC-courses has increased the resilience of businesses to staff turnover since owners are fully prepared to train newcomers.business meetings between spa and tour operators have increased mutual knowledge on how both sides operate and have resulted in the development, for the first time, of a series of joint tour packages featuring spa services targeting the EU market.project’s contribution to promoting direct business linkages between Asia and the EU is yet incipient but prospects are very good since tourist arrivals from Europe present double-digit growth, and effective working links between spas and tour operators targeting the EU market have already been established.effective technical upgrading of spa operators to European standards is proving very conducive to attracting wellness tourism (high-end tourism), a core strategy of the Department of Tourism (DoT).operators are shifting their core-business approach from the traditional focus on beauty to a focus on preventive health and wellness, which has a much higher added value. This shift in mindset is attributable to the intervention.project’s most palpable impact is that it is enabling hundreds of therapists to have access to valuable know-how previously only affordable by a minority of well-off spa owners.and raising the standards of the spa industry, which is a labour-intensive service sector, offers very good prospects not only in terms of employment creation and livelihood improvement but also in terms of generating employment of a better quality as the project is dignifying the role of the therapist as a professional healer.spa industry is a good channel for tourism revenues to trickle down to local economies as resort spas tend to employ women living in surrounding communities.substantial contribution of spa operators and senior therapists to the project explains the remarkably high level of ownership: therapists have to pay the examination fees and spa operators cover transportation and lodging costs during the two-month CIBTAC training course as well as the full cost of the Cascade training for in-house therapists.intense involvement of the Asia Pacific Spa and Wellness Council (APSWC) since the project’s onset and throughout implementation offers excellent prospects. The project constitutes a pilot model in the adoption of international standards in the region and APSWC offers an appropriate platform for the replication and expansion of the approach.
CIBTAC-trained spa therapists took CIBTAC examinations
The Spa Association of the Philippines, Inc. and the Thai Spa Association have both finished the 2nd batch of CIBTAC training last March 2009. In the Philippines, there were 27 spa therapists which completed the required 50 spa therapists for each country. While 15 spa therapists composed the 2nd batch for Thailand with a third batch in the month of May. The CIBTAC trainees also finished their CIBTAC examinations last April 27-28 (Philippines) and April 29 (Thailand).
Successful conduct of Cascade Train the Trainers Program
The Spa Association of the Philippines and Thai Spa Association (TSPA) have successfully conducted the 2nd batch of Cascade Train the Trainers Program (CTTP) last April & May 2009. The cascade training of trainers were conducted in the Philippines last April 29-May with 27 spa therapists and last May 1-3 in Thailand with 15 spa therapists.
The CTTP is a three day course designed to assist successful graduates of the Asia Invest CIBTAC training program to develop competencies in designing and conducting the Cascade Therapist Training Program (CTTP).
By the end of the 3 -day workshop, the participants were able to: understand the adult learning process; appreciate the dynamics underlying a successful training program; understand the parts of the CTTP Manual; practice teaching different modules of the CTTP; enhance their presentation skills and increase their self confidence in teaching.
EU project team conducted monitoring visit
The EU-Asia Invest project team composed of Jomar Fleras (Project Manager), Cherryl Kho (Assistant Project Manager) and Allan Rivera (Book keeper) conducted monitoring visits last19-21 (Malaysia), April 22-25 (Bali) and May 11-14 (Thailand). The following were the agenda of the monitoring visits: review the work plan and project implementation; review financial reports, forms and supporting documents and discuss issues and concerns regarding project implementation. The project team also observed on-going in-house cascade trainings in the partner countries.
New SAPI Board Members
The Spa Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SAPI) held an election during the General Membership Meeting last May 2, 2009. The new set of officers for the year 2009-2010 are the following:
President CATHY BRILLANTES TURVILL
Vice President REMEDIOS RAMSAY
Secretary BENJAMIN EUGENIO JR.
Treasurer LYNETTE ZOTOMAYOR
PRO ZENAIDA PALISOC
Representatives
North LuzonGLADYS
South Luzon EMILEE JANE JOSEPH
Visayas EDWARD MENDEZ
The Board held the first phase of its Strategic Planning sessionMay 12, 2009the office of the Department of Tourism Under Secretary Cynthia for Sports and Wellness to whom the Board was introduced formally. The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Departments of Health, Tourism and Department of Trade (CITEM)- who shared with the Board their Department’s directions and helped guide the Board on the strategic directions take for the year.
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