Ahead of the 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco revealed the key contributions to the 10-point agenda for economic renewal and growth under the current administration, and the strides made towards the country’s transformation into a tourism powerhouse in Asia.
“We thank our President Marcos, Jr. for identifying tourism as a priority, which provided the impetus for the Department of Tourism’s aggressive efforts to reintroduce the Philippines on the strength of its greatest assets, and to improve the essential pillars of tourism development, laid down in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023 – 2028 crafted and approved under his administration,” Frasco said.
One of the highlights of the Tourism report was the recovery of tourism numbers. As of July 21, 2023, the DOT has recorded 3,017, 224 foreign visitor arrivals, almost 60 percent of the 4.8 million arrival target for the entire 2023.
From February 2022, upon reopening Philippines border to all types of travelers, up until December, the Philippines welcomed 2.65 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing the 1.7 million year-end projections by nearly 1 million visitors. Of this number, 1.8 million or 69.32 percent arrived between July1 to Dec. 31.
Domestic tourism also proved its pivotal role in the post-pandemic resurgence of Philippine tourism recording over 102 million domestic trips in 2022, up by 176.18 percent from the 37.28 million domestic trips in 2021.
As reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority in the 2022, the Philippine tourism satellite accounts (PTSA), internal tourism expenditure reached P1.87 trillion, a 131.2 percent increase from P810.20 billion in 2021.
Internal tourism expenditure combines domestic tourism expenditure of resident visitors within the country either as part of their domestic or international travel, and inbound tourism expenditure of non-resident visitors including foreign nationals or Filipinos permanently residing abroad. Domestic tourism expenditure took the lion’s share with P1.5 trillion, while inbound tourism expenditure totaled P368.67 billion.
Meanwhile, the tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA) share of the sector to the Philippine economy as measured by the gross domestic product (GDP) last year was estimated at 6.2 percent with a value of P1.38 trillion, 36.9 percent higher compared with the P1 trillion in 2021.
The DOT has also actively pushed for the liberalization of COVID-19 protocols in 2022, including the removal of the COVID-19 test requirements and mask-wearing mandate which was instrumental to the recovery of inbound travels.
Aligning with the priorities of the Marcos administration, the DOT placed on top of its agenda infrastructure and digitalization initiatives that would boost the connectivity of tourism destinations and improve traveler convenience.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) of the DOT broke ground on Tourist Rest Areas (TRAs) in 10 strategic locations nationwide.
With its partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the DOT works on bringing improvements to the country’s gateways, starting with the NAIA Terminal 2, Cebu City Pier One, and the Davao International Airport and the improvement of roads, international airports, and seaports in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), under the existing Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) with investments hitting P16 billion for tourism roads in 2023.
With the help of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the DOT announced that internet connectivity in 94 tourist destinations will be improved, with 46 destinations already powered up. The Department is also set to launch a Tourist Lifecycle App with the Tourism Promotions Board that will cater to domestic and foreign tourists.
The DOT also introduced an enhanced tourism slogan – “Love the Philippines” – anchored on the country’s mega biodiversity, heritage, culture, history, and people. The DOT also embarked on a mission to train 100,000 individuals on the Filipino Brand of Service Excellence (FBSE) by year-end by capitalizing on world-renowned Filipino hospitality.
“Through the enhanced tourism branding campaign, ‘Love The Philippines’, the DOT will continue to highlight our tourism offerings—our diverse culture, gastronomy, the unparalleled beauty of our destinations, and most especially, the warmth of our people. There is a plethora of reasons to love The Philippines and we are determined to ensure that the world is reminded of what we can offer,” Frasco said.
Further, putting a premium on tourist safety, the Department also strengthened its Tourist-oriented Police for Community Order and Protection (TOPCOP) program, successfully training a total of 7,575 police officers.
The DOT has also accredited a total of 13,462 tourism-related enterprises as of July 15, 2023, an 11.92 percent growth from 2022. The DOT accreditation certifies that a tourism enterprise complies with the minimum standards for the operation of tourism facilities and services.