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MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Cebu hosted over a hundred international education agents from five Asian countries, who came here for the Grand ESL (English as a Second Language) International Familiarization Tour, the biggest of its kind since the Philippines launched education as a tourism product in 2010.
The agents from Japan, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and South Korea came to Cebu to also inspect ESL schools and accommodations and meet with learning program providers.
Gelena Asis-Dimpas, chief tourism operations officer of the Department of Tourism in Centra Visayas (DOT-7), said that the visit held from April 15 to 19 was “a significant milestone in the evolution of Cebu as a prime ESL destination.”
READ: Cebu in good spot as ESL market booms
Education tourism
On Friday, April 19, Dimpas also made a presentation of the region’s strategic direction for education tourism while emphasizing DOT7’s support to education service providers and plans for market expansion under its ESL7 and Edux7 Tourism programs.
READ: DOT considers Cebu as RP’s ESL hub
“We look forward to an upward growth path for Cebu and Central Visayas where ESL is concerned. We have the tourism fundamentals in place and continue to improve on existing conditions,” Dimpas said.
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ESL fam tour
The Grand ESL International Familiarization Tour was organized by the Cebu Association of Language Academies (CALA) in partnership with DOT7, Bureau of Immigration, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Province of Cebu.
READ: Online Education Platform Testament to Competitiveness of Filipinos in the Digit
It carries the theme “Love the Philippines and Explore English in Cebu”.
Pursuant to theNational Education Tourism Strategic Action Plan, the DOT has sustained assistance to the international education sector through its continued presence in emerging markets, facilitating better travel connectivity to and from these markets, rationalization of the Special Student Permit fees, enforcement of safety standards, training of ESL teachers, and development of off-program tourism destinations.
The ESL7 program earned Cebu the top spot among English language learning destinations in the Philippines. The country itself is ranked by the Lucerne-based EF Education First Group second only to Singapore among 23 Asian nations assessed for English proficiency. It holds the 20th spot on the global index for 2023.
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