IN A bid to showcase the tourist spots in the country, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will soon launch a tourist lifecycle app that will feature destinations of the regions, provinces, cities and municipalities in the Philippines.
According to DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, who visited Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon last week, the app called Travel Philippines will include information on travel agencies, tour operators, and tour guides, citing that this will help tourists directly contact them and avail of their services.
The tourism secretary added that the development of Travel Philippines aims to spread tourism opportunities in a bigger scope.
"Dako kaayo og kontribusyon ang turismo sa atong ekonomiya kay bisan pa man niagi kita'g pandemya ug nagkalain-laing mga kalamidad," Frasco said.
"In 2022 alone, we were able to receive over 2.65 million international visitors and 102 million domestic trips dinhi sa Pilipinas. That translated to over P1.87 trillion in tourism spending for the country," she added.
According to Frasco, since the demand for Philippine tourism both international and domestic is growing, they anticipate an increase in employment for Filipinos.
"Tourism is for our Filipino families. every time mopalit mo'g pasalubong, mo book og hotel, mosakay mo'g mga tourism transport, mobisita mo sa atong mga lokal nga destinasyon naa moy matabangan nga pamilya nga naa sa turismo," Frasco said.
The tourism secretary was in Manolo Fortich for the inauguration of the first Tourist Rest Area in Mindanao on August 4, 2023.