[ad_1]
Jennifer Romero, Officer-in-charge of the Davao City Tourism Operations Office
DESPITE the huge jump from being a seasoned hotelier to the new role as a leading public servant of the city government of Davao, Jennifer Romero is more than motivated and passionate to take on the job offered to her.
Romero is the newly-appointed officer-in-charge of the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) under Mayor Sebastian Z. Dutrete’s first term in office.
Being a staple in the hotel industry for almost 21 years, the new opportunity came in perfect timing. Still, it was an unexpected and huge transition for her to move from the corporate setup to the government setup.
“As you get older, there is a point in your career that you want to do something worthwhile and for the greater good, and impart what you have learned for the longest time,” she said.
Throughout her career, Romero rose through the ranks in the hospitality industry, starting out as a receptionist, account executive, and sales until she eventually became the head of the sales and marketing department of Waterfront Insular Hotel, where she spent most of her professional years.
For Romero, her past and current roles are different but the same. She would say, “The fundamentals are the same but the dynamics are different.”
The similarities are both jobs require promoting products and services, heading events and activities, and regulating and analyzing data to come up with significant action plans.
On the other hand, the difference is Romero is involved with developing more than one aspect of the tourism sector now that she is in the government sector, compared to the development of only one company if you are in the corporate setup.
“Giving yourself a wider spectrum (where you are) able to help in a wider scope. At CTOO, you will be looking into the holistic approach of what is tourism all about,” she said.
With her hotelier roots, the CTOO head said strengthening Davao City’s position as a Meetings, Incentives, Conventions/conferences, and Events (Mice) city is an advocacy close to her heart.
For her, Davao City’s position as one of the centers of the Davao Region and a key entry point in Mindanao makes it a major player in the Mice industry.
“The Mice tourism of Davao City is very promising. Many sectors will benefit from that – the hospitality industry, hotels, airlines, tours, and restaurants, among others, they can be helped out,” Romero said.
However, a challenge for Romero is understanding how the government’s tourism sector works. The priority right now is to implement the tourism master plan and come up with a plan that everyone can benefit from.
“The challenges would always be there but when we concretize our action plans, that can somehow have a foothold of a strong understanding along the way. It’s not always a bed of roses when you trailblaze new paths and you go into pushing the tourism industry to another level,” she said.
Moving forward, Romero said she will show Dabawenyos that she is on top of the city’s tourism initiatives and further push Davao City’s tourism programs to greater heights. Another priority for her is to promote Davao City not just locally, but also on the national and international scene.
“I am a visionary. When I envision something, I want that vision to become a reality. With hard work, determination, and of course, teamwork because I always believe that teamwork is also essential. I cannot do this on my own,” Romero said. ICM
[ad_2]
Source link
