House sets aside P6.4B for tourism road projects

House sets aside P6.4B for tourism road projects | Daily Tribune

Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo (4th District), vice chairperson of the House Committee on Tourism, announced on Sunday that tourism destinations across the country will benefit from an additional P6.4 billion in new national government funding for the development of access roads.

“We have allocated P6.4 billion for the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) in the 2025 national budget,” Rillo, who is also a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, stated. “Congress is committed to providing all regions with the necessary support to improve their access roads and bridges leading to tourism sites.”

“This initiative aligns with the Constitutional mandate to ensure that all sectors of the economy, including tourism, and all regions of the country have the opportunity to develop,” Rillo added.

The P6.4 billion for TRIP in 2025 is in addition to the P15.2 billion allocated for the program in the 2024 General Appropriations Law, according to Rillo. He explained that TRIP projects offer immediate benefits to local communities.

“The infrastructure projects create construction-related jobs, which directly support low-income families,” Rillo said. “More importantly, enhanced road access will increase tourist traffic, leading to job creation in accommodation, transportation, food and beverage services, entertainment and other sectors.”

The Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are responsible for identifying TRIP projects that are not covered by other funding sources.

Foreign tourist arrivals up 11.5%

From January to July 2024, the Philippines saw 3,276,731 foreign tourists, an increase of 338,014 (or 11.5 percent) compared to the 2,938,717 arrivals during the same period in 2023, according to the DoT.

The top 10 foreign nationalities visiting the Philippines from January to July were: South Korean (932,632); American (580,338); Chinese (219,743); Japanese (213,864); Australian (150,065); Taiwanese (136,334); Canadian (130,232); British (97,358); Singaporean (90,460); and Malaysian (57,153).