DOT eyes opening Mindanao for tourism

MANILA — Revenues generated by the country's tourism sector reached P149 billion under the Marcos administration as of November, Malacañang said Wednesday, as COVID-19 restrictions continued to ease.

Based on its year-end report, the Department of Tourism recorded around 2.4 million tourist arrivals in the country or 75 percent of the agency's target, Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil said.

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The DOT's low-end target for international tourist arrivals for next year is at 2.6 million. Its high-end target, meanwhile, is at 6.4 million.

The agency is also planning to focus on connectivity, convenience, and e-quality to drive the tourism sector in 2023.

This includes developing the National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028, improving connectivity, boosting localities' tourism infrastructure, and opening up a Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

"These initiatives are under the DOT’s Seven-Point Agenda aimed at improving tourism infrastructure, establishing cohesive digitalization and connectivity, enhancing the country’s overall tourism experience and equalizing product development," said Malacañang.

"The tourism department also plans to open Mindanao for tourism and promote Halal tourism, conduct Philippine national job fairs, and expand the tourism opportunity markets," it added.

Aside from these, the DOT also plans to set up a "cruise tourism." This would involve some 136 ports of call in 40 islands, do regional travel fairs, and develop tourism circuits, the statement read.

More tourism information desks and tourist rest areas are also in the pipeline, including the improvement of accreditation standards "to ensure the competitiveness of the Philippine tourism sector."

The DOT earlier said it is developing a tourism lifestyle app with the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

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The app, the department said, will provide tourists a "convenient way with which they can book all the aspects of their trip into and around the Philippines."

— Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

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