THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is appealing for a higher budget in 2026, proposing P3.1 billion, with P500 million earmarked for branding and promotions of the Philippines as a global tourist destination, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
In a media briefing in Makati City, Frasco pointed out that the DOT is “underfunded” compared to the multimillion-dollar marketing efforts being mounted by its neighboring destinations.
“The fact of the matter remains that Congress slashed the budget of the Department of Tourism by no less than 83 percent in terms of its promotions funding from P1.2 billion to only P200 million in 2024, and slashed it by half yet again to only P100 million in 2025,” she said.
Frasco defended the agency against criticisms of underperformance, highlighting that despite budget cuts and missed international arrival targets, the Philippines still recorded a historic P3.86 trillion in domestic and foreign tourism receipts in 2023.
The sector also directly employed over six million Filipinos— a “return of over 1,900,000 percent,” she said.
In 2019, the Philippines welcomed 8.26 million foreign visitors, with the DOT’s funding for promotions in the same year pegged at over P1 billion.
“You cannot expect a full recovery to 100 percent by investing only 100 to 200 million pesos and expect the same numbers,” she said.
Frasco said that the DOT is recalibrating its targets for 2025, taking into consideration “circumstances surrounding tourism competitiveness.”
“In terms of the targets, it’s at present being recalibrated because the challenges come day-to-day as well,” she said.
In addition to budget constraints, Frasco pointed to geopolitical tensions and economic slowdowns in key tourism source markets like South Korea as major challenges impacting visitor numbers.
The continued suspension of the eVisa, she said, is also an “immense challenge” for the DOT in attracting visitors from China.
Despite the setbacks, Frasco vowed that the DOT would continue to promote the country in key and emerging markets, including the US, Canada, South Korea, and the Middle East nations such as the United Arab Emirates. / PNA