DoT also a bicam victim

The extensive fund reallocation by the bicameral conference committee (bicam) to accommodate lawmakers’ pet projects has also severely impacted the Department of Tourism (DoT), which is now facing challenges in meeting its tourist arrival targets due to budget cuts.

The bicam has moved, if not removed, items in the proposed national budget to make way for insertions of pork barrel projects.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco revealed that the Department of Tourism’s branding and promotions budget for 2025, under the General Appropriations Act (GAA), was reduced to P100 million from the P500 million initially proposed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“The budget for branding and promotions was around P500 million under the NEP but was reduced to P100 million in the GAA,” she said.

The reductions follow a steep decline from P1.2 billion in 2023 to P200 million in 2024.

“The challenge of very limited funding is the difficulty of ensuring the Philippines remains in the consciousness of potential travelers worldwide,” Frasco said.

“We anticipate it will affect tourism arrivals, as fewer opportunities to market the Philippines mean fewer chances to reach as many markets as we wish,” she added.

The Philippines recorded 5.95 million international visitors in 2024, a 9.15 percent increase from 2023 but well below the 7.7 million target under the National Tourism Development Plan.

Frasco partly attributed the budget shortfall to the suspension of e-visa policies for Chinese tourists, a crucial market for Philippine tourism.

“We projected upwards of 2 million Chinese visitors, but only a little over 300,000 arrived in 2024,” she said, contrasting this with ASEAN neighbors’ more relaxed visa policies.

Despite this, Frasco noted optimism with the rollout of an e-visa system for Indian travelers. “We are grateful the President directed the exploration of an e-visa option for India,” she said, hoping for its swift implementation.

She also reported progress in infrastructure, which included 500 kilometers of tourism roads built under the Marcos administration.

Public-private partnership projects are underway at major airports and seaports. However, Frasco expressed concern over the reduction in tourism road funding, which decreased from P15 billion in 2024 to P6 billion in 2025.