World Education Connect Multidisciplinary e-Publication, Vol. VI, Issue I (January 2026), pp,525-534
GERARDO M. PRESADO
Provincial Tourism Officer, Province of Masbate
gerardopresado757@gmail.com
Abstract
This study explores the barriers and challenges encountered by municipal tourism officers in the Province of Masbate and examines their lived experiences in navigating these difficulties. Employing a qualitative phenomenological design, the research focuses on understanding how tourism officers interpret and respond to the structural, operational, and emotional constraints of their roles. All twenty municipal tourism officers in Masbate are included using complete enumeration sampling, and data are collected through validated semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis reveals three major categories of barriers: institutional, staffing, and governance constraints; financial limitations and low prioritization of tourism; and infrastructure, accessibility, data, and environmental challenges. Participants highlight the absence of permanent plantilla positions, weak administrative support, insufficient funding, poor road connectivity, limited access to reliable data, and vulnerability to natural hazards as key impediments to effective tourism governance. These structural challenges, combined with low prioritization by local authorities, often compel officers to assume multiple roles, leading to role overload, professional strain, and emotional labor. Despite these constraints, officers demonstrated resourcefulness, personal sacrifice, and adaptive strategies, including leveraging personal networks and community partnerships, to sustain tourism operations. The study underscores a significant gap between national tourism policy objectives and the operational realities of local tourism offices. In response, the research recommends institutionalizing permanent positions, increasing staffing and budgetary support, enhancing technical assistance from national agencies, and strengthening partnerships and advocacy efforts at the municipal level.
Keywords: barriers and challenges, municipal tourism officers, Province of Masbate, phenomenological study, complete enumeration
