Faculty members from the Tourism Management Department (TMD) of the Cebu Normal University (CNU) College of Sciences (COS) attend the opening of the three-day 19th East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Federation (EATOF) General Assembly held in Lapu-Lapu City on September 2.

Attended by 10 member provinces and regions across East and Southeast Asia, the gathering discussed initiatives and strategies to strengthen cooperation in areas covering sustainable tourism, regional partnerships, and economic opportunities across sectors.

CNU, as a research-oriented higher education institution, for its part, participated in discussions covering research and innovation, as well as initiatives that would contribute to the country’s tourism development.

TMD Chairperson Dr. Clareziel Ladringan, a champion of sustainable initiatives and tourism development, facilitated the discussion titled “New EATOF Go GLOCAL! Green, Smart, Youth: Sustainability (Green), AI & Digital Transformation (Smart), and Youth-Led Local Development with a Global Perspective (Youth & Global),” which encourages youth participation in tourism development.

She also facilitated the discussion titled “From Local to Global: Shaping East Asian Tourism Innovation through Sustainable Locals & AI Smart Travel,” which encourages tourism stakeholders to adopt practices that would make destinations more travel-friendly through the integration of digital solutions.

To recall, CNU TMD has been proactive in stakeholder collaboration, emphasizing the importance of industry-academe partnerships in strengthening tourism education, promoting sustainable practices, and addressing emerging needs in the sector.

The CNU faculty members who were present during the event are CNU Tourism Management faculty members Dr. Ruby Melchor, Bharbie Paballa, and Shirlyn Salcedo, along with CNU Balamban faculty members Nino Clarin and Ma. Luchie Arias.

Through the participation of its faculty members, CNU continues to position itself as an academic institution that actively contributes to regional cooperation, tourism innovation, and sustainable tourism development.

The three-day EATOF General Assembly was attended by representatives from Cebu Province of the Philippines; Gangwon State of South Korea; Tottori Prefecture of Japan; Jilin Province of China; Sarawak State of Malaysia; Yogyakarta Special Region of Indonesia; Töv Province of Mongolia; Quang Ninh Province of Vietnam; Luang Prabang Province of Laos; and Siem Reap Province of Cambodia.

Padayon, CNU!

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