The Department of Tourism has launched its first offering of tourist rest areas in Mindanao, one of the flagship programs of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

The program is grounded on the department's vision to provide convenience and comfort to tourists.

The first tourist resting areas have been placed in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, and Samal Island in Davao del Norte, fulfillment of one of DoT's objectives in the DoT to ensure the equalization of tourism promotion and development not only in key destinations but also in lesser-known areas that have great potential for tourism development.

"It is our President's desire to spread economic opportunity and livelihood all over the Philippines especially and including Mindanao," said Tourism Secretary Frasco at the groundbreaking ceremony in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

The rest areas consist of amenities, including coffee shops, pasalubong, and souvenir stores that showcase a variety of products that are proudly made in the Philippines, tourist information areas, and a charging station.

In a press conference, Frasco said the DoT intends to establish 10 tourism rest areas. After Bukidnon, they will break ground for the establishment of tourism areas in Cebu, Bohol, as well as Baguio, Ilocos.

"From here, we will be proceeding directly to Samal Island in Davao. The idea is that we wish to improve the entire tourism experience in the Philippines, which is why we are providing this Tourist Rest Area for them all over the Philippines. Next year we tend to break ground on several more," she said.

Each tourist rest area, upon the funding from Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, will cost around P7 million, which will be placed all over Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

It's more fun in the Phl

Meanwhile, Frasco maintained that it will stick to the old DoT slogan of 'It's More Fun in the Philippines'.

"Our intention is to evolve, in the same way, that all other countries in the world have evolved after the pandemic. And so, while we will continue to market the Philippines as being more fun than our neighbors, we want to give our country the opportunity to highlight the other qualities as well that make our Philippines beautiful, and make our Filipino people, as distinct a population as we are all over the world," she said.