Based on the Guidelines for the Implementation of CMO No. 46, s. 2012, this CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) implements the shift to Learning outcomes-based education. lt specifies the Learning outcomes expected from graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM) and the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) for any type of higher education institution (HEC) lhey graduate from. Moreover, this CMO also provides ample opportunities for HEIs to innovate in the curriculum in line with their design to best achieve learning outcomes in their particular contexts and their respective vision, missions, and objectives, and areas of operation.
The need to revise and update the current BSTM and BSHM curricula is premised on the basic concept that higher education programs must always be abreast with the current times. The Philippine tourism sector has shown strong performance exhibiting double-digit growth in domestic and foreign tourist arrivals for the past several years. As the fif1h growth driver of the Philippine economy, tourism accounts for 8% of the country's gross domestic product, generating 4.7 million jobs and contributing more than P1.74 billion in tourist receipts. The multiplier-effect of tourism has prompted investments, created new business and employment opportunities cutting-across a wide variety of sectors, which demand knowledgeable and highly-skilled workers.
The demand for tourism and hospitality workers extends even beyond Philippine borders with the advent of the ASEAN Community. Within this context, the ASEAN Economic Community has four pillars, with focus on single market and production base that will allow for free how of goods, services, skilled labor, investment, capital, food and agricultural security and integration of 12 priority sectors. With this, several Mutual Recognition Arrangements were signed by the ASEAN Member States (AMS), including the ASEAN MRA for Tourism Professionals, signed last November 2012. This will allow AMS to mutually recognize or accept some or all aspects of one another's conformity with assessment results for Tourism Professionals thru the use of the Common ASEAN Tourism Curriculum (CATC).