THE Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Thursday, February 9, 2023, that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. asked Japan to lift or limit its travel advisories against the key travel destinations in the Philippines.

Marcos made the appeal during the high-level roundtable meeting with Japanese tourism stakeholders and top Philippine government officials, including Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco in Tokyo, Japan.

“The Philippines and Japan have so much in the pipeline on what we can share and learn with each other. But first and foremost, we note that in order for us to further deepen our nation’s mutual friendship and interest, we must first be open to each other’s people. With this, we are working on lobbying to the Japanese government for the lifting or limiting of its travel advisory against the Philippines’ key travel destinations,” said Marcos.

The DOT, however, did not elaborate which key destinations in the Philippines were under Japan’s travel advisory.

Marcos said the Philippines is open and ready to welcome more Japanese tourists into the Philippine shores, noting the administration's aggressive infrastructure efforts aimed at improving road networks and internet connectivity in tourist destinations.

The President, during his first State of the Nation Address, said the country’s tourism is among the top priorities of his administration, noting that it contributed nearly 13 percent of the country’s gross domestic product before the Covid-19 pandemic. (SunStar Philippines)