As the Department of Tourism (DOT) continues with its mandate of developing the country’s tourism industry, it formally rolled out its industry roadmap for the Visayas cluster in Iloilo City recently.
The event was led by Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco who emphasized the primary goal of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028, which serves as the national government’s blueprint for establishing a Philippine tourism industry anchored on Filipino culture, heritage, and identity in the next five years.
Iloilo Provincial Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. expressed his unequivocal support to the rolling out of the NTDP in the Visayas cluster, citing that the province is ready to collaborate with the Department of Tourism (DOT).
“We are very thankful for this rollout because our work here today is to see where we are in this National Development Plan and our role and participation in this tourism development plan of the Department of Tourism. We are very ready to collaborate with the leadership of Secretary Frasco of the DOT and the rest of the national government in this development,” Defensor said.
“For us, this is the beginning of our work, and we really look forward to working more closely with the Department of Tourism,” the governor added.
The NTDP also serves as a guidebook of the industry on how to put sustainability mechanisms in place, as well as to ensure that the industry is resilient and globally competitive.
“The NTDP is not just the plan, but a dynamic framework that requires all of us, our active engagement from policymaking to grassroots implementation.”
“In the spirit of President Marcos’ economic aspirations for the Philippines, the NTDP is not just the plan, but a dynamic framework that requires all of us, our active engagement from policymaking to grassroots implementation,” Frasco said, noting that the goal is also to galvanize an industry that is a lifeline for millions of Filipinos, likewise to showcase the heart and soul of the Philippines.
The Philippine National Tourism Development Plan or the “The Plan” of 2023-2028 was developed with inputs from stakeholders from across the country – including the DOT, its offices and attached agencies, other national government offices, various local governments including those from mature and developing tourism destinations, private sector representatives from various industry groups, the academe, and non-governmental organizations – and it provides a framework to guide the development and implementation of various programs, projects, and activities for the growth, development, and transformation of Philippine tourism.
Based on The Plan, the goal is to employ 6.3 million Filipinos by 2028 which is about a share of 12.9 percent of the country’s total employment.
International visitor arrivals are also projected to multiply in the years ahead with 7.7 million target this year, 8.4 million in 2025, 9.3 million in 2026, 10.2 million in 2027, and 11.5 million in 2028.
The projected share to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2028 is also pegged at 14.01 percent.
“The NTDP is our guiding light and we will steer our ship through the challenges ahead towards the horizons of inevitable success for Philippine tourism.”
“The NTDP is our guiding light and we will steer our ship through the challenges ahead towards the horizons of inevitable success for Philippine tourism. Let us reaffirm our commitment to Philippine tourism. The road ahead is long, and the work is hard, but we are willing to do it. Our resolve is unshakeable. And together, through our collective efforts, we will rise to the challenge and the vision of our President of transforming the Philippines into a tourism powerhouse in Asia,” the tourism chief said.
Also present during the NTDP Visayas cluster rollout are local chief executives Juris Sucro of Kalibo, Aklan; Margarito Mission Jr. of San Remigio, Antique; Francisco Baladjay, Jr. of Laua-an, Antique; Vicente Jaen II of Leganes, Iloilo; Roquito Tacsagon of Tubungan, Iloilo; Virgilio Teruel, Tigbauan, Iloilo; Cresente Chavez of Jr., Jordan, Guimaras; and Paul Vincent Dela Cruz of Nueva Valencia, Guimaras, as well as National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Engr. Arecio Casing, Jr., officials of the DOT, and partners from the private sector including former DOT Undersecretary and now MICE Center Iloilo City Director Salvador Sarabia, Jr.
