Marcos vows to prioritize tourism sector

MANILA, Philippines — Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the frontrunner in pre-election surveys for president, has vowed to prioritize the tourism sector if he is elected in the May 9 polls.

Citing the importance of the tourism industry in the country’s pandemic recovery, Marcos said he plans to redirect the focus of the Department of Tourism (DOT) roadmap to help boost the country’s overall economic outlook.

“The country is gifted with the most beautiful tourist spots globally, which when harnessed and utilized properly could help fast-track the country’s economic development,” said the former senator. “It will also help create jobs for the locals in the areas where they are located.”

He said he would task the DOT to directly manage tourism destinations and determine the social and economic impacts on their respective localities and on the country as a whole – instead of being just a marketing agent of the country’s most famous natural and historical places.

“The next administration must revitalize the tourism industry and support its further development that will be a big boost for the country as we recover from the pandemic,” Marcos said.

The DOT’s National Tourism Development Plan 2016 to 2022 promotes safe, fun and competitive tourism; pursues sustainable, inclusive and resilient tourism and strengthens governance and destination management.

It has also prepared a “Tourism Response and Recovery Plan” which aims to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the industry.

Marcos said a revitalized version of this plan would help the country further recover from the pandemic and be a blueprint for future crises.

The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer also plans to improve the agency’s efforts by enhancing its website design to add new features such as destination promotion through a price-based strategy.

This portal would host an interactive Philippine map integrated with tourism products and destinations; include multilingual options; peer evaluation and post-vacation rankings and promotional videos created by micro-influencers and vloggers.

The website will also have its mobile application or version, including a one-stop feature for all tourism needs.

Marcos also envisions the DOT to provide more incentives and training for tour guides to create more jobs in the industry.

“After seeing how they were heavily affected by the pandemic, the DOT must be ready to assist the tourism workers and ensure job security,” he said.

He also advocates for easing travel regulations, especially for returning visitors, to encourage them to revisit the country.

“We need to look into the system again to give our tourists a better experience here in the country as tourism is one of our biggest contributors,” he said.

Marcos said he believes that tourism is an effective instrument for economic growth as the industry can generate jobs and help increase the income of local government units.

With lower alert levels in different provinces, he encourages more domestic travelers to start visiting tourist attractions and spots in the country.

As governor of Ilocos Norte a few years back, Marcos pushed to strengthen local tourism and saw how it helped the province’s economic development.

Marcos bared his plans for the tourism sector after the World Travel Tourism Council (WTTC) called on governments to reopen their countries’ borders and economies to help breathe new life to tourism and the world economy.

The global organization of tourism stakeholders and investors made the appeal to ensure a faster recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the latest WTTC Economic Impact Report, travel and tourism in the country has recovered 1.3 million jobs and generated $41 billion (about P1.13 trillion) for 2021.

Based on data from the DOT, the country welcomed more than eight million tourists and the industry contributed P2.51 trillion, or nearly 13 percent, to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019 before the pandemic hit the country.