Speaking before members of the press during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday (May 24), Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco discussed the tourism roadmap for the Philippines under the post-pandemic economy and the efforts of the Department to transform the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse in Asia.
The Secretary also answered questions on the latest developments of the industry as guest for the interview with veteran journalist Marichu Villanueva at Cafe Adriatico in Malate, Manila.
๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐โ๐น, ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐
In a bid to transform the Philippines as a tourism powerhouse in Asia, she said the Marcos administration has continuously promoted the Philippines domestically and globally.
โThrough the efforts of the DOT and our attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board, we have ushered in no less than P3.33 billion in estimated sales leads generated out of the various international expos that we have participated in across all hemispheres in the worldโin Asia, the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and the like. And domestically, we have also tried to connect our regions to each other in terms of promotions and access to connectivity and travel opportunities such as our North Luzon Travel Expo, our Mindanao Travel Expo, and soonโour Central Philippines Travel Expo, because admittedly, siguro meron pa tayong mga kababayan na living in Luzon for example, that have never to Mindanao, living in Central Visayas, that have never been to the hinterlands of northern Luzon,โ she said.
๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
On the highly anticipated launch of the enhanced tourism slogan, the tourism chief underscored that while the agency will continue to market the country as a โfun destination,โ it would also highlight that the Philippines is a destination with a rich and diverse Filipino culture that can offer substantial, immersive, and purposeful experiences, perfectly matched with the love and warm hospitality of the Filipino people.
โWe are enhancing the tourism slogan and we’ll definitely take into consideration the opinion of our various stakeholders. May I just highlight that global trends, supported by data from various reliable and reputable tourism-related publications, have indicated that post-pandemic, people’s reasons for travel have also changed, chief of which is that people now wish to have some sense of substantive, immersive, and cultural authentic experiences where they have opportunities to get to know the culture of the place that they’re visiting. People also value the opportunity to get to know communities. These trends correspond very well to the assets of Philippines tourism that have yet to be fully maximizedโour culture, our people, our communities. And that is why the enhanced tourism slogan will give our country an opportunity to market itself not just as a fun destination, which it will continue to be, but also a destination for everything else that includes highlighting our culture and our people,โ she said.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐บ
โMay I also qualify that the promotion of the Philippines tourism does not hinge on a branding campaign alone. More importantly, it highly depends on product development, improving aspects of the Philippine tourism industry that situates our country lower than our ASEAN neighbors,โ the tourism chief added, highlighting the importance of infrastructure, connectivity, and digitalization which have been identified by the President as a priority of the current administration.
Also highlighting the need for tourism infrastructure, Secretary Frasco discussed the existing flagship tourism enterprise zones (TEZ) that are ready for investment which include San Vicente, Palawan; Panglao Island in Bohol, Corregidor Island in Cavite; Mt. Samat in Bataan; Clark, Pampanga; the vicinity of Rizal Park where the Manila Ocean Park is presently located; and 15 other registered TEZs.
โSo, what our fellow Filipinos can expect is that the Marcos Administration is investing in tourism, not just in our well-known destinations, but also in our lesser known destinations,โ the Secretary said.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐น๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ
Meanwhile, with the recent burning of the historic Manila Central Post Office, the tourism chief called it a “tragedy in terms of heritage” and emphasized that it should receive โnational attention and supportโ as a cultural treasure.
As the DOT recognizes the heritage value of the structure, she likewise noted that the Department will extend all possible support from the DOT to ensure its rehabilitation.
โThe incident concerning the unfortunate burning down of the Post Office is a tragedy in terms of heritage and it is such a cultural treasure that deserves national attention and support. We note the remarks that have been made by the City Government of Manila that has assured that it will not be torn down. From our end from the Department of Tourism, recognizing the heritage value of this structure, we are prepared to follow through on the direction that the Marcos Administration would wish to take in terms of how to rehabilitate the structure, especially considering that our attached agency TIEZA has long lent assistance in terms of rehabilitation of heritage structures,โ she said.
To recall, the National Museum of the Philippines in 2018 declared the Post Office building as an Important Cultural Property (ICP) as it possesses โexceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance.โ
