DAVAO CITY— Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted the big gains of the country’s tourism industry during her speech at the 50th-anniversary celebration of the Davao Tourism Association held on Monday (August 12) at Dusit Thani in Davao City.
Among these gains is the 3.7 million international tourist arrivals in the country from January 2024 to August 12, 2024. These foreign tourist arrivals contributed P323 billion to the economy.
“Under the leadership of our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. our tourism industry continues to demonstrate remarkable growth,” Sec. Frasco said during her speech at the celebration.
Frasco bared that the country achieved historical growth in tourism growth rate in recent years.
“Last year 2023 marked the highest tourism growth rate ever recorded in the history of our country. Bringing in over 3.36 trillion pesos in tourism receipts to our economy,” Sec. Frasco said.
This translated to an 8.6 percent contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employed 6.21 million Filipinos.
“Accounting for over 13 percent of our entire national labor force,” The DOT Secretary said.
She added that the DOT is working hard to sustain and grow the momentum by implementing several flagship programs aimed at enhancing the tourism experience.
One of these programs is the TRA or the Tourist Rest Areas which are facilities that have clean and decent restrooms, tourist information center, and a pasalubong center.
Davao Region’s first TRA was built in Barangay Peñaplata in the Island Garden City of Samal which was opened last year. The DOT has built 10 TRAs in key destinations around the country.
Investments in tourism infrastructure include 531 kilometers of roads built under the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Another flagship initiative is the Philippine Experience Program which according to the Secretary “To open the eyes of the world to the beauty and richness of Filipino culture and to diversify tourism portfolio to ensure that we benefit our tourism communities all over the Philippines”
The first leg of the Philippine Experience Program was launched in Davao Region. The PEP provides an immersive tourism experience by showcasing the rich cultural diversity of the regions. Apart from Davao, the DOT has rolled out the program in nine regions.
Another program is the Mindanao Tourism Expo, which presents the vibrant and diverse tourism offerings of the region, tapping the vast potential of tourism in Mindanao.
Sec. Frasco thanked DATA for their support to the initiatives of the DOT.
“This is the support I felt from the very start, your passion for tourism in Davao continues to inspire me personally,” Sec. Frasco said.
DATA’s 50th
Founded in 1974, Davao Tourism Association or DATA is one of the largest private sector tourism organizations in the southern Philippines, it has more than 300 members coming from various tourism establishments such as hotels, resorts, restaurants, travel agencies, tourism schools, and other related businesses.
It has continuously partnered with the local and national governments, particularly the DOT in promoting Davao as a prime tourism destination and capacitating its member establishments and workforce to strengthen the industry and provide world-class tourism experience to visitors in Davao. (RGA/PIA11
