Domestic tourists still account for the highest guest arrivals in Negros Occidental and most of them are young travelers, Jennylind Cordero, provincial senior tourism operations officer, said yesterday.

Cordero recalled that the roll-on, roll-off port project of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was one of the reasons for the influx of domestic tourists in the country, particularly in Negros Occidental.

More tourists mean more income for local businesses and for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, she said.

OWWA upgrading scheme
benefits 145 WV seafarers

The Seafarers Upgrading Program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Association has benefited 145 seafarers from Western Visayas since January this year, regional director Samuel Madrid said.

SUP helps seafarers upgrade their skills in accordance with technological advancements and international maritime standards. It provides OWWA seafarer-members related training in priority maritime courses identified by the Maritime Training Council.

The program is open to all seafarers who are members of the OWWA. Beneficiaries under the SUP receive from OWWA financial assistance for training costs. First availment consists of P7,500 training assistance. Seafarers could avail another training course every after three recorded membership.

Customer service seminar set

The First Strategic Management Solutions will conduct a Customer Service Seminar on June 2 at the provincial Capitol Governor's Hall in Bacolod City, a press release from organizers said.

In a smaller market, the key to keeping firms' respective market share and revenue lies in their ability to keep customers and build repeat business, the press release said.

The importance of this is illustrated when an inquiring customer is answered by a pharmacy attendant with a shrug instead of helping him/her find an answer, thus losing a potential repeat patron to competing drugstores, it also said.