On the first day alone, some 25,000 jobseekers from all over the Philippines have logged at www.tourismjobs.ph, the website of the tourism industry’s first computerized jobs databank specifically created for the TJF, which is the initial phase of the TourismJOBs (Jobs, Opportunities, Businesses) program of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

DoT Secretary Joseph Ace H. Durano said applicants registered and processed onsite totaled 6,271 in Davao City and 4,105 in Cebu City. In Manila, 3,286 applicants were processed onsite on the first day alone and still counting.

Of this number, more than 2,500 applicants in Davao, Cebu and Manila are for final interview by companies, with reports of some of-the-spot hiring of fresh graduates for entry positions like sales and reservation officers for travel agencies and cruise ships.

Over and above this were many still undergoing company testing and evaluation, and thousands of others being processed, including the 600 applicants vying for 100 jobs in a hotel resort in Cebu. But realizing that most of them need special skills to be hired, the hotel’s general manager will put in place a special on-the-job training program for them.

Applicants, especially new graduates who require additional or specialized skills, will have to register with the Tourism Industry Board Foundation Inc. (TIBFI) or the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) for further training.

This is the first time that members of the various sectors of the tourism industry gathered under one roof to offer more than 34,000 jobs to prospective applicants from all over the archipelago and assist them in getting hired.

The TJF in Davao had applicants coming from as far as Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, and Misamis Oriental, while that in Manila had jobseekers coming all the way from Apayao and Cagayan Valley.

The three-day TJF in Manila was staged at The Forum of the Philippine International Convention Center and ended Saturday (April 8).

The country’s first industry-specific jobs fair for travel and tourism, the TJF had a total of 324 employers/exhibitors participating in its Davao, Cebu and Manila legs.

"The TJF highlights the start of the industry’s year-round job creation, hiring, and training in response to President Arroyo’s 10-Point Agenda that includes the creation of six to 10 million jobs as a government priority," Durano said.

Jobs being offered are various positions in airlines and shipping firms, hotels and resorts, travel agencies and tour operators, restaurants, tourist transport and car rental companies, conventions and exhibition organizers, restaurants and spa, recruitment and employment agencies, golf clubs, department stores and malls, call centers, tourism industry suppliers, banks, retail and entertainment establishments, and schools and skills training institutions.