34% of nat’l employment linked to PH tourism – DOT

A tourist surfs the waves in General Luna town in Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines and home to some of the best beaches in Asia. FERDINANDH CABRERA/AFP PHOTO

THE number of Filipinos employed directly and indirectly by the tourism sector is 16.4 million, amounting to over 34% of the entire national employment in 2024, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said.

“’Yung turismo talaga ay isa sa pinakamalakas na sources of revenue sa ating bansa and it is one of the most reliable industries that the Filipino people can depend on especially when faced with shocks such as climate risks, economic difficulties, and the like,” said Frasco at a Kapihan Sa Manila Prince Hotel session on Wednesday.

She said that Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the tourism sector was responsible for at least 6% of the Philippine GDP as of mid-2024.

Frasco added that the World Travel and Tourism Council said that the Philippines’ domestic and international tourism performance has also contributed greatly to the combined ASEAN gross domestic product (GDP).

She added that the Philippines landed its highest-ever visitor receipts in 2024, with P760 billion for international arrivals, while domestic tourism is now ranked first in ASEAN, estimated at $66.2 billion.

“They calculated that the total international and domestic combined spending of our tourists in the country is around P3.36 trillion… Since then, nakipag-usap tayo sa PSA pati na rin sa NEDA, siguro there is an opportunity for us to widen our perspective also in terms of the contribution of tourism to Filipino livelihood,” she said.

“This is a result of our close collaboration between the government and the private sector in providing interventions that would improve the tourism experience, allow for a higher tourism spend, and of course encourage repeat visits [for] international arrivals,” she added.

Frasco said the Philippines’ tourism spend per capita was the largest in ASEAN at USD2,073.

The length of stay for tourists have also lengthened, now averaging at 11 nights per stay since the beginning of the Marcos administration in 2022.

However, Frasco said the Philippines has to “take a look at the headwinds” that the country faces. For one, since the Philippines is not landlocked, it is only accessible to travelers via air and sea, and highly dependent on air travel.

The DOT is now working with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to improving connectivity to the country by encouraging more direct flights, two-leg flights, regional connectivity, and domestic connectivity.

She noted that the country also needs to promote visa liberalization to further encourage foreigners to enter and tour the country.

While there had been difficulties due to a recent tightening of requirements for China, the DOT said they are now looking into India as a possible tourism partner. (GMA Integrated News)

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