The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Thursday praised the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) 22 April report showing that all 18 regions posted positive economic growth in 2024, attributing the gains to the government’s push for balanced tourism development.

The PSA data, measured at constant 2018 prices, highlighted Central Visayas as the fastest-growing economy at 7.3 percent, followed by Caraga at 6.9 percent and Central Luzon at 6.5 percent. Other regions that outpaced the national GDP growth of 5.7 percent included Davao (6.3 percent), Eastern Visayas (6.2 percent), Northern Mindanao (6.0 percent), and the newly created Negros Island Region at 5.9 percent.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco — herself from Cebu in Central Visayas — welcomed the report, noting it validated the DOT’s strategy under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023–2028 to equalize tourism across all regions.

“We at the Department of Tourism are elated by this positive development. This strongly affirms our strategy to equalize tourism development across all regions, as directed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023–2028. The robust growth in regional economies such as those in Central Visayas, Regions III (Central Luzon), VIII (Eastern Visayas), XI (Davao), X (Northern Mindanao), and XIII (Caraga), among others, demonstrates the far-reaching impact of tourism when it is inclusive, community-based, and sustainably driven,” Secretary Frasco said.

Since reopening to international tourists in 2022, regions have seen surging visitor numbers: Caraga’s arrivals rose from 725,266 in 2022 to 1.7 million in 2024; Davao’s from 2.15 million to 4.1 million over the same period; and Central Visayas jumped to 7.5 million visitors in 2024.

Frasco highlighted flagship DOT initiatives — Philippine Experience Program (PEP), Tourist Rest Areas (TRA), and Tourism Champions Challenge (TCC) — as key drivers for empowering local economies and diversifying tourism offerings.

She cited the PSA’s April 2024 Labor Force Survey showing 16.4 million Filipinos (34 percent of total employment) benefitted from tourism jobs, and noted record tourism revenues of ₱760 billion in 2024.

“Tourism has become a vital pillar of our country’s economy, not just because of the revenue it brings, but because of the millions of lives it touches. With 16.4 million Filipinos benefitting from tourism-related jobs and services, we are seeing how strategic and regionally balanced tourism can uplift livelihoods, strengthen local pride, and support our nation’s goal of achieving inclusive and equitable growth that could propel the nation’s socioeconomic status forward,” Frasco said added.