AS an important weapon of the Philippines’ economic arsenal, tourism is becoming to be an industry built through the country’s natural and cultural environment, where the most negligible and innocent gestures can easily wreak havoc on the site’s resources.
Tourism holds the assurance of increased employment and income opportunities for Filipinos particularly those living in the rural and coastal areas of the country. With the resignation of Department of Tourism (DoT) Sec. Alberto Lim, another challenge has been raised for the country’s fragile industry.
Citing personal reasons as cause, Lim announced his resignation from the Aquino cabinet last week, which will take effect on August 31. Upon his resignation, Lim will leave behind him notable accomplishments in the Philippine tourism industry. This include the pushing of the open skies policy or Executive Order 29, as signed by President Aquino during his term. The open skies policy enabled the growth of local destinations by allowing foreign airlines to fly in and out of selected airports outside Metro Manila, connecting it with destinations abroad.
Also under his leadership, DoT was also able to come up with the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP). Under NTDP, the country aims to have 6.3 million foreign visitors by 2016, 30 million domestic tourists, and tourism receipts would reach $1.7 billion dollars—about 6.7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As of 2010 figures, there are about 3.5 million foreign tourist arrivals and 28 million domestic tourists. Moreover, for the first quarter of 2011, visitor arrivals in the country reached 1.3 million. Undoubtedly, Lim has spearheaded a reliable campaign to raise the profile of the Philippines as a tourist destination.
The challenge of replicating these improvements in the agency—if not achieving more—concerns not only the next appointed tourism chief. The goal of sustaining a robust tourism growth still lingers.
In most ASEAN nations, rapid development of the tourism industries in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines has been widely credited for becoming a tool for economic progress.
However, the Philippines still lags still these countries. For over 40 years, the growth of tourist arrivals and receipts in these countries (except the Philippines) has been among the highest in the world.
The recent growth in the tourism industry has ushered a renewed confidence in transforming the country as a competitive world destination. With the world just waiting to see the Philippines in all its beauty and splendor in a well-maintained environment, an array of tasks to support the current growth are yet to be accomplished.
The Philippine tourism industry is a promising trade with a huge potential to contribute more on the economic growth at a national and regional level.
Its budding competitiveness in attracting foreign visitors should be capitalized in a way that the venture would not pressure its natural resources but still would jumpstart vast employment for its people.
The world is experiencing an increased wealth and access to travel nowadays and possibility of more tourist arrivals is inevitable. The government should augment the country’s infrastructure while still ensuring that every new structure built keeps the local style otherwise foreign visitors might lose interest in the Philippines.
The first quarter of the Philippine tourism year manifested a rise in the number of tourists arriving in the country compared to previous years. At a time where the Philippines is experiencing an unmarketable economic scenario, the current trend of tourists flow shows some welcome sign.
The gap between the Philippines and other countries must be closed. Regardless of location or level of development, the local tourism sector with its incoming new leader, should access all the country’s resources to make Philippines the best pick as a top tourist destination.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(Las Vegas Aug. 18-24, 2011 Sec A pg.6)
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