THE newly-appointed Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) head is urging Filipinos to travel around the Philippines, saying the country still has a lot of attractions to discover, culture to learn and people to meet.
Speaking at the recently-concluded 5th International Travel Fair, TBP officer-in-charge Arnold Gonzales challenged Filipino travelers, especially the young ones, to explore more destinations in the country.
Gonzales replaced Cesar Montano after the latter tendered his resignation under the new DOT leadership.
“Discovering the Philippines is a rewarding experience as it allow us to deeply understand our culture and reconnect with our heritage,” said Gonzales, adding that if more Filipinos travel domestically, more unknown places would become familiar and they’d appreciate the country better.
“Through our own discoveries, we will be able to see what makes this country unique and worth visiting,” he said.
Moreover, Gonzales said promoting domestic travel would also allow stakeholders to identify the gaps and challenges in the industry at the same boost the other business units of the travel and tourism sector.
Gonzales also pointed out that traveling in the country would also allow Filipinos to communicate with their kababayans, learn from their ideals and dialect, and understand their way of living.
“This will allow us to know what brings us closer rather than recognize what sets us apart,” he said.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the tourism sector accounted for 12.2 percent of the economy in 2017.
Tourism direct gross value added to gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to P1.93 trillion at current prices in 2017, up by 24.2 percent from 2016.
Tourism receipts of foreign visitors and Filipinos permanently residing abroad grew by 43.9 percent in 2017, amounting to P448.6 billion, from P311.7 billion in 2016.
Domestic tourism expenditure, which includes expenditure of resident visitors within the country either as domestic trip or part of an international trip, grew by 25.5 percent to P2.64 trillion in 2017, from P2.11 trillion in 2016.
Tourism players believe Cebu should brace for more arrivals this year, not only because of its new airport terminal but also because of its global recognition.
Cebu was ranked the eighth Best Island in the World and sixth Best Island in Asia in the 2018 Travel + Leisure survey.
“This honor, plus our new beautiful airport terminal, coming five-star hotels and resorts, and the new eco-tourism activities developed by the municipalities will help further increase the arrivals of tourists,” said Edwin Ortiz, tourism committee chair of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He, however, noted that with recognition comes a bigger challenge of maintaining or exceeding the current ranking.
“I hope we will not rest on our laurels as the reality is other Asian countries who also have natural attractions are fast catching up when it comes to welcoming foreigners and learning the English language to make traveling in their countries easier,” Ortiz said.
He cited joint efforts between local government units and the private sector in crafting a masterplan to solve the worsening traffic congestion, safety and security in our streets as well as in eco-tourism/adventure activities, and initiatives to improve cleanliness and sanitation.