As the Department of Tourism (DOT) pursues more sustainable tourism practices, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco spoke at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to conclude the second part of the Sustainable Development Training (SDT) at its campus in Makati City.
The SDT is an intensive capacity-building initiative designed for key tourism managers at both national and local levels.
Comprised of two phases, the initial phase featured a 1-month self-paced online module, followed by a 2-day onsite session held last April 17-18. Designed specifically for the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP), DOT Regional Offices, and Central Office representatives, phase one aligns with the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 goals.
Meanwhile, the second phase, titled “Managing Sustainability in the Philippine DOT: A Policy and Governance Approach,” was tailored for DOT executives, management committee members, regional directors, and central office representatives. Building upon the outcomes of the first phase, this segment refined project proposals, enhancing integration, feasibility, and alignment with sustainable development objectives.
“We’re not interested in going back to how things were, we are interested in forging forward.”
Frasco articulated the transformative vision driving the DOT’s efforts, stating, “It is not a difficult decision to make, to empower the people that you send out to implement government programs, especially those that have been implemented under the Marcos administration that seek not only a recovery from all that has been lost to the pandemic and all the crisis that has come into our country, but an administration that seeks transformation. We’re not interested in going back to how things were, we are interested in forging forward, for what tourism requires of us post-pandemic is innovation, forward-thinking, and most importantly, sustainability. And to my mind-and I’m glad that there is an institution that provides such capacity building-there is no better way to approach these very challenging times for the world and for our country than education, preparation, and innovation.”
“There are theories on sustainable tourism that are nice-sounding and nice to listen to, nice to talk about, but then there is the challenge of implementation, which is why it’s very important for me that AIM has capacitated you with the tools to translate all of these theories into actual implementation,” the tourism chief added, expressing her gratitude for the partnership with AIM and underscoring the significance of empowering DOT executives for effective program implementation anchored on sustainability.
Addressing the participants, the tourism head also highlighted the multifaceted impact of the program that aside from educating and empowering them, “provides opportunities to take sustainable tourism theory into various dimensions that have a real impact on the people on the ground.”
“All of these aspects of sustainable tourism, I’m confident, will now trickle down to the work that you do in the regions.”
“All of these aspects of sustainable tourism, I’m confident, will now trickle down to the work that you do in the regions because from theory, it is a given opportunity to see concrete results. And for me, coming from the local government, that is what is most important,” she concluded.
“We hope that we have been able to equip you, the key planners and managers in tourism, with better tools in pursuing sustainable tourism. So please remember that the linchpin, the key to the Philippines economic progress is there, waiting- destinations (and) tourism,” congratulated former education secretary and congressman, now AIM-ALT Chairman Dr. Jesli Lapus.
Organized by the DOT Office of Tourism Development Planning, Research and Information Management (OTDPRIM) in collaboration with the AIM-Dr. Andrew L. Tan (ALT) Center for Tourism, this effort, aligned with the NTDP 2023-2028, ensures that sustainable development is a core focus of government initiatives in local destinations. It aims to integrate sustainability principles into tourism policymaking, planning, management, and product development.
