Tourism can be booster for economic recovery – JV
SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, during the hybrid meeting on the proposed 2023 budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT), said that promoting the tourism industry in the country by allocating the right budget will open opportunities for the country to compete with her neighbors in Asia as he noted the enormous multiplier effect of the tourism industry as compared to other sectors.
At the hearing, DOT Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco, who was present during the meeting, revealed that Indonesia has allocated $645 million; Malaysia $358M; Singapore $376M; and Thailand $111M. However, the Philippines has allocated a meager $49 million to promote the country.
“That probably explains the way they, (our Asian neighbors) market their countries. They are advertising all over the world. Given the meager budget that we have, I think we can still improve a lot,” Ejercito said as he explained the need to take care of our tourism industry and promote our country abroad.
Frasco presented the 7-point agenda of DOT during the Finance Subcommittee J deliberation on the proposed P3.573 billion 2023 budget of the DOT.
Frasco said for the next six years, DOT would work on improving tourism infrastructure and accessibility; cohesive and comprehensive digitalization and connectivity; the enhancement of overall tourism experience; equalization of tourism product development and promotion; diversification of portfolio through multidimensional tourism; maximization of domestic tourism; and strengthening tourism governance through close collaboration with local government units (LGUs) and stakeholders.
The tourism chief also confirmed that the tourism industry in the Philippines is already “recovering from the pandemic.”
Sen. Nancy Binay, who chairs the Committee on Tourism, raised her question about the DOT’s change of slogan every six years, which she said could take a big slice of the tourism budget.
“Unlike other countries, you change your slogan every six years. It’s not cheap to change a slogan, and our budget is limited,” Binay said during the hearing.
Frasco expressed confidence that with the new administration’s bold move to support and promote the Philippine tourism industry here and abroad, Philippine tourism is headed for a takeoff and has become a prime mover for economic recovery.
