To ensure that tourism development in the country gives opportunities for a shift in perspective towards sustainability, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco shared the DOT’s ongoing efforts to work with the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) and other agencies including the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) during the High-level Meeting with the Organizing Interagency Committee (IAC) and Pre Launch of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) recently.
“The Department of Tourism is not only bent on pushing a tourism industry that is sustainable, but also one that fosters regenerative tourism, recognizing the importance of managing tourism’s impact upon the environment, by adding a positive impact to our local communities, and ensuring the longevity of our tourism destinations. When sustainability is adopted as a way of life, it can lead to tourism that is not only transformative, but also regenerative,” Frasco explained.
“When sustainability is adopted as a way of life, it can lead to tourism that is not only transformative, but also regenerative.”
The tourism chief noted that the hosting of the 2024 APMCDRR in Manila is also a timely opportunity to reintroduce the Philippines to its global partners. In its presentation at the Organizing IAC Meeting, the DENR projects at least 3,000 international participants to the important conference slated on October 14-17, 2024 at the PICC.
The DOT was named as chair of two committees in preparation for the 2024 APMCDRR, namely the Receptions and Related Events, as well as the Hospitality and Cultural Committees.
The tourism head expressed the Department’s full cooperation to the DENR, DND, and the Organizing IAC in ensuring the success of the conference. The DOT is also a member of the Registration and Protocol Committee, as well as the Strategic Communications Committee.
“The conference signals an opportunity for the Philippines to fully move on from the pandemic.”
With the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent lifting of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency status, Frasco also said that the conference “signals an opportunity for the Philippines to fully move on from the pandemic, and to focus on this great challenge of our time which–if not managed properly–would ultimately affect the next generation.”
“We are very eager as well to put the best foot forward of the Philippines, in terms of introducing the strength of our culture and the diversity of our regions to our international delegations,” she quipped.
