MANILA -- The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Tuesday warned the public against non-accredited entities engaged in travel and tours, airline ticketing and other travel businesses.
"Recently, various reports have been received by the Department of Tourism on the proliferation of non-accredited entities advertising services in different social media platforms for airline ticketing, travel and tours arrangement, hotel booking, and training offerings for travel business management," the DOT said in a statement.
"The public is hereby warned to be vigilant in dealing with these entities as there can be no guarantee on the reliability and legitimacy of their products and services," it reminded.
The DOT said there are only select training centers that accredited to offer courses on putting up travel agencies and other tourism-related services.
Further, all travel agencies/ tour operators, including online bookings, are covered under the DOT Accreditation Law requiring accreditation before issuance of business permits, it stressed.
"Non-compliance to the provisions thereof is punishable by law," it warned.
According to DOT, entities with valid and existing accreditation with them have informative websites and/or online pages bearing the DOT’s Quality Seal and their corresponding Accreditation Number with validity.
For a complete list of DOT-accredited enterprises, the public are encouraged to visit the DOT's website at www.tourism.gov.ph.
For further information, concerned individuals may also contact Jose Tolentino, DOT Standard Monitoring and Enforcement Division at 459-5200 loc. 216. (PNA)
